She topped up her wine glass and went to the sofa, sitting down and turning the television to the news. Her eyes widened as she saw the reports coming across the screen.
“An explosion rocked the center of Dublin this afternoon as a car bomb exploded in the underground garage of the . . .” the anchor was saying, but she didn’t hear the rest. Her eyes were fixed on the smoldering fire still being put out at Ronan’s hotel.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ronan
Ronan hadn’t been thrilled about the news from Greyscale. He’d sat across the table from him in disbelief.
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. I’m not even sure that it’s true. It could just be a rumor.”
“You’ve not seen any indications first hand?”
“No, not yet. I have some of our southern dragons going out tonight. It’s supposed to be a fairly starless night but clear, so they’ll have good cover of darkness but still be able to see.”
“Where?”
“Likely the cliffs along the east coast. There are some caves in the walls there that aren’t in use, as far as I know. They’ll land there and take a look around for any signs of movement.”
“Why do you think there is anyone down there?”
“Let’s just say we utilize those caves for certain storage needs. There is no way to get to them on foot from where they open up to the sea. You’d be hard-pressed to even rappel down from the topside.”
“Then how could anyone be down there?”
“Like I said, there are all sorts of caves that aren’t in use. A series of tunnels that have yet to be explored by most. We’ve made use of the ones we’re certain go nowhere. You know, so they can’t be accessed by someone coming in from the island side.”
“But the ones that you’ve not finished exploring could open up elsewhere on the island, like perhaps a castle dungeon.”
“Bingo.”
“So, you think that the men we thought were trapped in the castle bowels might have slipped out through tunnels?”
“It’s possible.”
“Where did the rumor come from?”
“Rather not say. Let’s just call them a seafarer. Claims to have seen movement on the cliffs, but by the time he could really focus in on it, it was gone.”
“Could have just been an animal.”
“No, not down where he saw it. I’m telling you. You can’t get to that cliff wall and those caves without flying in or coming through a tunnel.”
“What’s the point then? Even if it’s possible that they made it out through a tunnel beneath the castle, they’d have nowhere to go.”
“Perhaps. It depends on how brave they are. They could have skirted along the ledges from one cave to another and tried to find a way back out elsewhere. Or, if they are really desperate, they could have made a dive into the sea.”
“Long way down, I take it?”
“A very long way, but in bear form, they might be able to withstand the splashdown and repair any damage they incur.”
“I guess anything is possible if you’re desperate enough.”
“In the meantime, I’d suggest you check around the dungeon, maybe run some lights down into any gaps in the metal to see if you find any bodies.”
“I’ll do that.”
“I’ll let you know what we find once I know anything.”
“I appreciate that. One more thing. Why are you helping? It’s not like this is your problem.”
“Having rogue bears nosing around places we consider safe for our purposes is very much my business. Our southern brothers are genuinely concerned about it.”
“Aye. Understood.”
“All right. I’ve got to go. I’m stuck with tea at my cousin’s house. He has thirteen children. I may need a sedative before the pudding is served.”
“That’s rough. Good luck to you.”
“Thanks. Talk soon,” Greyscales told him, standing and leaving the pub.
Ronan glanced at his watch. It was getting late, and he still had to make it to the car dealership to pick up his new car. It was the reason he’d been turning in the rental today, but he hadn’t expected the meeting with the dragon Alpha.
He hailed a cab and headed over to pick up the car, but they were suddenly stopped by a loud boom that shook the car and ground traffic to a halt as emergency vehicles emerged, traveling toward the direction of the sound.
“What’s that about?” he said aloud.
“Dunno, mate. Sounded like something got blown up.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Ronan replied, noting the number of police and fire vehicles still working their way through traffic, going in the opposite direction.
“At least they aren’t headed where we are.”
“At least,” Ronan replied.
Traffic loosened up, and they made it to the dealership in time for Ronan to finish up the paperwork on the new charcoal gray Mercedes A 200 he’d special ordered for getting around. He’d need to buy a van too, but he’d pick up one of those used in the classifieds.