Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure by Larry Forkner (summer books .TXT) 📗

down at her feet. “Whatever the case may be, it was meant to bring Sean’s magnificent red dragon to life. Not only that, but Grainne would be none the wiser. She would only know that a group of her gray dragons had disappeared without a trace.”

“I couldn’t agree more and while I readily admit that it’s a fascinating topic of discussion; perhaps we should forego talkin’ about Sean as though he isn’t sitting right in front of us,” Eamon said, smiling.

Ashling realized her mistake, as she looked at Sean sitting in the front row of seats below the dais. She nodded at Sean, who smiled in return. “My apologies, Sean. As usual, my Da’s right as rain.”

“No offense intended, and none taken, Ashling,” Sean said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m as interested in discovering how I fit into your history as you are.”

“Very kind of you, Sean,” Fergus said. “Can we assume you won’t mind us asking a few questions? Before you answer, I must warn you that some of the questions may probe into your family history and personal life.”

“Ashling’s constantly asking me questions lately, so I’ve become somewhat used to being given the third degree. “I’ll warn you ahead of time that I’ve not come across any relatives who could turn into fiery, red dragons at the drop of a hat.”

Or dragons of any other color, may I assume?” Margaret asked, showing a broad smile.

Sean chuckled, enjoying the kindness the Council showed him under difficult circumstances. “Right you are, Margaret. No dragons of any color that I’m aware of.”

“I’m wondering if any of your amazing gifts showed themselves in some small way before you found yourself in Rundimahair,” Fergus asked.

Sean was silent for a few moments before saying, “Nothing earth shaking, but from time to time I think I did have what might be considered unusual occurrences.”

“Please explain,” Fergus said.

“There have been times in my life–going back as far as my teenage years–where I was sure I could hear someone’s thoughts.”

Sean saw several of the Council look at each other with raised eyebrows and expectant glances. Obviously, they were very interested in what he had to say.

“Do you mean you could actually hear what they were about to say, or know what they were thinking?” Eamon asked.

“The latter more than the former,” Sean said. “I didn’t hear their voices speaking to my mind just before they said the words out loud. It was more of a sense that came over me where I knew what they were feeling.”

“That must have come in handy when you were thinking about asking a pretty young lass out during your schoolin’ days,” Fergus said, smiling.

“Once I began to trust those feelings, it was very handy, indeed. It was very comforting to know if a girl was thinking that she’d like to go out with me, before I even asked.”

“Sure enough, Sean, such a gift could have saved me some humiliation in me younger days,” Fergus replied.

“But there was more to the gift than helping out with your love life,” Ashling said. “Explain how it had a darker side as well.”

Sean nodded slowly while he gathered his thoughts and shifted direction. “Soon after I turned eighteen, my ability seemed to expand. I could actually feel if someone was very upset, or very happy without ever looking at them. Eventually, I refined the ability enough to know if someone was thinking dark, dangerous thoughts.”

“And what did you do when you recognized such feelings in someone?” Fergus asked.

“At first I tried to ignore them, since I didn’t want to believe some of the feelings I was picking up on. That all changed when I was in the last few months of my senior year of high school.”

“Something forced you to take action?” Fergus asked.

Sean nodded and said, “I was walking to gym class with two of my friends when I felt very dark, angry thoughts close by. Vicious anger and a desire for revenge hit me so hard, I almost cried out in pain. I quickly looked around me and didn’t see anything at first. When I started walking forward again, I finally spotted a slender, pleasant-looking girl, glaring at a boy across the hall who was flirting with a pretty girl.

“You were able to pick her out of a crowded, school hallway?” Fergus asked.

“It was like she was sending out violent, radio waves that only I could tune into. Her feelings were so vehement that it physically hurt to accept them into my mind. I realized she wasn’t just angry at him; she truly wanted to hurt him.”

“What did you do?” Margaret asked, her eyes wide with interest.

“Just as we approached her locker, I saw her turn quickly and reach onto the top shelf. In that moment, somehow, I knew she was going for a gun. I stepped up so close behind her that she physically could not pull away from her locker or take the gun off the shelf. I expected her to resist, but she froze in place and stared straight into her locker. I put my arm on her shoulder, so a passerby might think we were boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“That was quick thinking, Sean. Did she try to resist at all?” Fergus asked.

“Only for a moment, until she realized it was futile. I remember thinking that I might be able to help her if she didn’t panic. To my astonishment, she slowly nodded her head, as though she’d heard my thoughts. For the first time in my life, I heard exactly what she was thinking.”

“What was it?” Margaret asked excitedly.

“Somehow–mind to mind–I heard her say, ‘I wasn’t going to hurt him; I only wanted to scare him. He lied and cheated on me and then laughed in my face when I confronted him about it. I could see the confrontation clearly in my mind and felt sympathy for the girl.”

“I suppose you notified the authorities,” Margaret said.

“I probably would have, but when I pulled the gun out of her hand, I