She didn’t have to go far to find him, since he was making a path to her.
“Here it is.”
“Sweet Mother” was all he could say, as he reached out to take his stone.
Searing pain burned his fingers the moment he touched it. “God’s teeth!” Stephen bellowed.
Scared, Aileen dropped it onto the ground. They both stood over it looking as if it was some great beast.
“I just touched it moments ago,” whispered a stunned Aileen.
Stephen clenched his fist still feeling its tingling effects.
“The relic must be cleansed,” replied Cathal as he ambled over to them.
“Bloody hell!” barked Stephen.
“But Cathal, I can touch the medallion—stone. I just did so moments before, and it was warm to the touch, radiating a peaceful energy.”
“Aye, and that is as it should be, Lady Aileen.”
“Explain,” Stephen said tersely.
“Lady Aileen has been chosen to return the
medallion
. Furthermore, before it can be returned to
ye
, it must be cleansed by the Great Dragon.”
“By the hounds, Cathal! I do not have time for this!”
“And why is that? The lady has brought back your relic and ye cannae ride the two-days’ journey to have it cleansed?” Cathal shook his head in disbelief.
“That would be
five
days,” snapped Stephen. “Besides, I have promised Aileen I would return her to Arbroath Abbey.”
“Is it true?” Cathal questioned as he looked at Aileen.
Great Goddess
! Stephen wanted no more to do with her. Their magical night together meant
nothing
to him. He was going to keep his promise. Again, she was the fool. Yet, what did she expect? It was what she had told him she wanted.
Sadness and confusion engulfed her.
“Aileen has requested to return to the abbey, so she may return to her own time,
and
her father,” Stephen said bluntly.
“Is there no other way, Cathal?” she asked quietly.
He sighed. “Nae. The stone must be purified in the waters where the Great Dragon resides.” He stepped closer and gripped her hands. “Is there anything I can say to sway your mind and make this journey?”
Aileen swallowed. If the medallion were given to her for a purpose, then she would see it through. From this moment on, she would erect as many shields around her heart and feelings.
She wouldn’t be swept away,
again
.
She turned to Stephen. “Then I will make this journey, and when it is completed, you can take me back to the abbey. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go gather my things, eat, and get some rest. I suppose you will want to leave at dawn’s light.” With a nod to both of them, she scooped up the medallion and quickly left before Stephen had a chance to protest.
“God’s blood!” Stephen yelled in frustration. “Do ye not grasp the dangers that are upon us, Cathal?”
“I would think there are many. In truth, ye are the one with the visions. Have ye spoken with Betha, or Osgar regarding their interpretations?”
“Nae,” he replied waving him off.
“Would ye care to share them with me?”
Stephen breathed in deeply watching a black falcon circle above them. He did not like to share his visions with anyone. They were his to interpret. After they left him, he would draw his thoughts in an effort to better understand their meaning.
Perhaps if he had chosen to share his visions, his sister might still be alive.
He glanced back at Cathal. “The visions are of battles yet to be fought. Each one ending in death.”
“Whose death?”
“Some of the brothers from the abbey.” Stephen knew what his next question was and answered, “Nae, I did not see their faces to know which ones.” He went over to lean against a pine for support. “Then there was the burning, or as Betha has stated, the cleansing.”
“Aye, she has told me of her vision.”
Stephen nodded in understanding. “I had one this morning.” He pursed his lips before adding, “It was a vision of Aileen, dying. Now ye realize why I must return her to her own time and father.”
Cathal stroked his beard in thought. “How accurate are your visions, Stephen?”
He frowned. “Accurate? Visions are a portent of the future, or as close as they can be. There have been times when a single event can change their course, but even I am not that powerful to prevent what will happen.”
“If I may ask, who was more bonded to the fae? Margaret, or ye?”
Stephen’s jaw clenched. “We both were. They used my visions to speak to me, and Mar...Meggie spoke directly to them. Why?”
“Have ye not heard their messages to ye, then?” he asked, signaling to the black falcon.
“I told ye I no longer honor those ways,” he ground out.
Stephen watched as the black falcon landed on Cathal’s outstretched arm.
“Perhaps if ye had listened to them, ye would have a better understanding.”
“Why would they have anything to do with me? After that night, I would think they would have turned their backs on us completely.”
“Sorcha, this here is Stephen MacKay, brother of Duncan. He, too, thought all was lost.” Cathal tilted his head to the side. “Until he wove all the pieces of not only that night, but of the ones that came before.”
“What the bloody hell do ye mean, Cathal?” he asked in warning.
Cathal looked directly at Stephen. “There was evil magic that night, and
none
of it was from the Dragon Knights.”
Stephen’s jaw dropped, and then snapped shut. Was there something he missed? Who would want to do this to his family? “
Who
?” he rasped out.
“Let us gather some food and drink. We can talk more away from the feasting.” Cathal saw him hesitate. “Unless ye would rather join in?”
Stephen rubbed a hand over his face remembering the feasting he had of one lovely lady. “I could do with some food and ale.”
“Good.” Releasing Sorcha, they watched as she flew off ahead of them.
Stephen’s mind reeled from Cathal’s revelation. He needed to find out more about this evil person or persons. In the meantime, he had to deal with coming face to face with the Great Dragon and asking for her forgiveness.
He let out a long breath. How could he possibly ask for absolution, when he could not fathom forgiving himself?
Chapter Twenty-Four
“When a Knight strides into battle, he often leaves behind his heart.”
After much food and ale, Stephen stretched out along the back of an elm tree. He had probed Cathal relentlessly about this evil. Strange, how the druid would try to weave his brother, Duncan, into the telling. There was no way he was going to listen to how Duncan redeemed himself. Of all the brothers, he could not grasp why he would be the first.
Taking another sip of ale, he asked, “Ye are certain Lachlan is at the core of all of this?” Stephen suspected there was more to the story than what Cathal was sharing.
“I can most assuredly say that he is,” replied Cathal taking the ale skin back from Stephen.
“How did ye come upon this wisdom?”
“Have ye thought much on the days leading to that fateful night?”
“Humph!” Stephen grumbled, taking his hand over his unshaven face.
Cathal sighed. “This is where ye must begin your journey, so ye can understand what it is ye are facing.”
Before Stephen could reply, he noticed Donal and Seamus approaching on foot.
“Think on my words, Stephen.” His voice stern.
He gave him a curt nod, standing to greet the two men. “What news, Seamus?”
“They are scattered and confused,” he said with a smirk. “I ken some of the guards from the abbey desire to return. Yet, it is the one called Lachlan who refuses and keeps them onward.”
“He will never give up,” interjected Cathal. “His focus is entirely on obtaining the relics, and let me warn ye, he only needs one to control all of your powers.”
“What?” Stephen asked incredulously. “How is that possible?”
Cathal let out a long sigh. “His power is based in evil, one that has grown since the day he fought off death. I have just recently consulted with the Elders, and we are all in agreement.”
“What of Angus and Alastair? Can they not be warned?”
“Their journey has yet to begin. This is your time, not theirs.”
Donal and Seamus glanced at one another. It was Donal who spoke. “I hear ye are taking the Lady Aileen to the waters near the Great Glen.”
“Aye. She has found my relic.”
“Praise the Gods!” exclaimed a shocked Donal.
Seamus stepped forward. “Then I would be honored to accompany a Dragon Knight and his lady safely to the Great Glen.”
“I thank ye, Seamus, but this journey we must make ourselves.”
“Sir Stephen, do ye not think it is best to have protection now that ye see the threat?”
Cathal laid a hand on Seamus’s arm. “Nae. They must make this journey on their own. I believe ye are needed here.”
“Then I will rest and depart on the morrow to keep watch on this foul person. It will be my pledge to ye.”
“May the God and Goddess keep ye safe, Seamus.”
Seamus gave a nod, leaving for much needed rest.
“I shall go see to your provisions,” said Donal. Before leaving he added, “It is good ye have regained your stone.”
“If that were only true.” He turned toward Cathal after Donal was out of sight. “Tell me why someone has not ended the life of Lachlan?”
Cathal just shrugged. “Trust me when I say I, too, wish it so.” Shaking his head, his sight took him beyond the hills. “When did Lachlan’s heart falter, and when did he abruptly choose the path of evil?” He released a shuddering breath. “It is beyond my comprehension. I will continue to work with the Elders in hope of finding a weakness in the evil that my brother has spread.”
Stephen placed a hand upon his shoulder, understanding the sadness in the druid. “I ken he is your brother, but this can end no other way.”
“He was lost to me the moment he walked the dark path of evil. When his death comes, I will ask for his heart,” he uttered solemnly.
Cathal grasped Stephen’s hand firmly. “May the God and Goddess light your path.”
Stephen tried to draw back, but the druid held firm.
“Remember...” said Cathal, as he tapped Stephen’s forehead with his finger.
Releasing him, he strode away leaving Stephen stunned and speechless. He absently rubbed the spot where Cathal had touched him. “Remember
what
?”
Shaking his head slowly he took off in the opposite direction. “Druids and their riddles,” he muttered.
****
Aileen sat in silence while Betha braided her hair. Laughter and music spilled forth from the distance as the feasting continued in full force. She nibbled on some bread and cheese after eating a bowl of soup full of wild mushrooms.
Trying to stay focused, her mind continued back to Stephen’s words. He was so eager to see her back to the abbey that her stomach clenched at the thought of spending four days alone with the infuriating man.
An extremely sinfully gorgeous, man
.
“So, what is it ye wanted to speak to me about?” asked Betha, as she wove a ribbon through her braid.
Aileen blinked. “Huh?”
“Is your mind confused, or is it your heart?”
How could she possibly know? “I’m sorry, is it so obvious?”
“Oh, aye,” said Betha smiling.
Aileen threw the last of her bread to a nearby bird, frustration clawing at her. “He…he makes me so mad!” She shot Betha a sideways glance. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” She stood and leaned against a tree.
“What happened the night Stephen and his brothers were cursed?”
Betha let out a long sigh. “They fought and their sister was killed on hallowed ground.”
Aileen waved her hand in the air. “I know that. I want to understand how she died,
and why
? Stephen says he is cursed, but what does it mean?”
“The MacKays—
Dragon
Knights
, had been at odds with the MacFhearguis clan for years. The MacFhearguis claimed they were the rightful heirs to the sacred relics.”
“Are they?”
“Nae. ’Tis always been the MacKays. On the night of the battle, Margaret MacKay went to meet her lover at the stones. There they were to be handfasted, running off together to start a new life.” Betha’s eyes misted when she continued, “For ye see her lover was Adam MacFhearguis, and they both understood their families would never accept their troth.”
“Feuding clans, Romeo and Juliet,” whispered Aileen.
“Who?”
“Nothing, just another similar story told by a bard.”
Betha nodded in understanding.
“Yet, her brother, Duncan, I believe, killed her.”
“Margaret stepped in front of Adam, and took the blow that was meant for him. She died that night. The Guardian of the fae descended to level the curse—
a
curse
which removed not only their relics, but fouled their names.”
Aileen tried to digest all of this. Then another thought caused her to frown. “If they are cursed, then why did I find Stephen’s medallion and travel back here?”
Betha smiled slowly. “It is an answer only Stephen can give ye, Aileen. I believe that the fae have not truly forsaken them. Each has been given a journey back to that night.”
“A chance for redemption?” interjected Aileen.
“Aye, and only Stephen kens what he has to do. He must remember the words of the Guardian. In truth, I fear he has chosen to forget that night.”
“The Great Dragon...” whispered Aileen.
“Seek the wisdom of the Great Dragon. She will help ye to guide your heart,” Betha said softly.
“I don’t need wisdom for my heart. I will cleanse the medallion, give it to Stephen, and go home.”
“Ye cannae fool me, Aileen.”
“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want me, and I have to return to my father. Case closed.”
“Hmmm...then ye had better build a stronger fortress for your heart, for I fear it will shatter if ye do not face your true feelings.”
Aileen’s jaw tightened, and she refused to say any more on that subject. She would encase her feelings for Stephen in a box of steel under lock and key forever. Her meal took a sour turn within her stomach, and she hugged her arms tightly around her. Wanting to talk about something other than her and Stephen, she asked, “Will you be safe here?”