Dark Isle (Celtic Legacy Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

me. Ten seconds and the earthquake passed, only the distant rumble of an aftershock , and the damage to the road showing the power of what had just happened.
    We stood, my legs wobbling , but not from the earthquake.
    “I don’t suppose you asked Nuadha about Lir , did you?” An idea was forming, one that I hoped was wrong. Please let it be wrong.
    Luke flushed, “I did. He’s missing.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve thought of something, haven’t you?”
    Nodding, I tried to gather my thoughts, tried to put them in order. “Cora, you said that Chaos was hidden away by Lir , right? ”
    She nodded; I went on. “And Balor is trying to free Chaos.”
    Another nod. “Then is it possible that Lir is helping Balor?” I didn’t want that to be the truth, but it made too much sense not to be a possibility.
    Cora tipped her head first one way then the other. “I suppose ; but they don’t like each other. Part of it’s that they each had a taste of your mother. But mostly it’s because b oth of them have great control over water; the creatures in it and the water itself. They’re rivals. Lir is the more powerful of the two, so he would be a strong ally if Balor could convince him. But I don’t think that would happen. It’s m ore likely that Balor has eliminated Lir somehow , moved him from the playing field , so to speak . ”
    Cora mentioning water creatures made me think of my last diving experience. I’d been attacked by a shark ; a black tipped reef shark. A species n ot exactly known for their ferocity. Three other divers had tried to help me , but it wasn’t until I used my dagger that the shark had released me. And then it swam away as if it hadn’t been interested in me in the first place .
    “ Can Balor control sharks?” I asked.
    They both tried to answer at the same time . Cora won out. “No, that particular beast has always been Lir’s to control. Something of a pet you might say.”
    Already Luke was disagr e eing. “That’s not entirely true. Card can control them too .”
    “Card?” I asked.
    “Lir’s son, heir to the kingdom , and all that.” Luke paused and looked over at me. “I guess that would make him your half brother.”
    Well that was a bit of a shock ; a half brother? The last thing I needed now w ere more siblings to worry about. Shaking it off, I asked what I hoped woul d be the final question. “So are you coming with me, Luke, to stop Balor from getting Chaos, or are you going to do what Nuadha wants? ”
    Luke slowed. “ You’d make me choose? ”
    I put my hands on my hips. “If I’m going to be this C hosen one, destined to meet Balor on the field of battle, I’m going to do it my way. You aren’t going to drag me around anymore. I lead, you follow.”
    He stared at me, his eyes and body not giving away even a hint of his thoughts. Suddenly, h e held out his hand to me . I took it, lacing our fingers. “I’m with you, Quinn. All the way.”
    I smiled up at him. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”
    He gave short bark of a laugh. “Actually, I was already coming to that conclusion on my own. Nuadha made it very clear that he was to be the one to meet Balor on the field of battle.”
    Frowning , I pulled my hand away, the day’s warmth making our skin sticky with sweat. “I thought I was supposed to do that. Not that I’m complaining, just confused. ”
    “You are , ” Cora said, but Luke wouldn’t meet my eyes.
    “What?” I asked him .
    “Nuadha does not believe you are the one the prophecy speaks of and he has convinced the rest of the Tuatha that the prophecy itself is nothing more than the ramblings of a dotty old oracle.”
    Faster than I thought she could move, Cora struck out at Luke, her fangs extended. “I didn’t say I agreed with him!” Luke yelped , his hands in the air. Cora subsided.
    “So where to, leader of mine?” Luke asked, bowing to me from the waist. Though he was teasing, he was right. I had to decide where we were