Authors: Donna Grant
“I think not. After all I am a Druid, and just who do you think inhabits this forest?”
The amicable expression faded from his face. “So you think you know everything now?”
“She knows enough,” Moira said, and came to stand beside her.
MacNeil narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”
“Don’t you know?” Moira asked. “I would think you’d know me upon sight since it was my cousins you killed that night.”
He clenched his hand into a fist and stared at his clan’s plaid burning to ash.
Moira raised her hands above her head. “The prophecy is about to come to pass. You managed to slay our parents but all three of us escaped.”
* * * * *
Conall yearned to listen to all Glenna said to MacNeil, but the moment Effie rode through the gates his clan erupted in violence. They screamed for her death as he pushed through his soldiers to get to Ailsa. Not until she was safely in his arms did he allow himself to believe she was home.
“I’ve got you, love. You’re home now,” he said as he crushed her to him.
“I never doubted it, Da.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in her neck. She had so much faith in him, and it reminded him of someone else who had that much faith in him. Glenna.
“Ailsa,” he said as he set her on her feet. “I need you to go to your chamber and stay there until I come for you.”
“Are you going to bring Glenna back?”
“Aye, love, I am.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Good luck, Da.” With that she ran between people’s legs and then through the castle door.
He might have lost a sister, but he had gotten his daughter returned, thanks to Glenna, and he would be damn sure to get Glenna back as well. But first he had to calm his clan before they killed Effie.
“Conall,” Angus yelled above the shouts of the clan. “We have a wee problem.”
* * * * *
MacNeil lifted his sword as a signal to his men. The entire army raised their bows, crossbows and swords, but Glenna wasn’t worried. There was nothing they could do with the MacInnes clan safely inside the walls.
A shout from a MacInnes soldier alerted her that something wasn’t right. She turned and saw buildings ablaze within the bailey.
“Now, Glenna,” Moira said urgently.
Glenna concentrated all of her energy but couldn’t put out the fires. “I can’t,” she whispered as fear overtook her.
“Don’t let him win,” Moira urged as she took hold of Glenna’s hands. “You can do this. I believe in you.”
Glenna gazed into her sister’s green eyes, eyes that she somehow knew looked just as their mother’s had. She nodded and searched her mind for a way to combat the fires. If she couldn’t put them out herself, then she would find something that could.
She concentrated on the blaze sweeping rapidly toward the barn. “Moira, stop the wind,” she called.
Please let this work.
Her eyes focused on the barn as she waited for the men to get all the animals out. When the last animal ran from the building she focused her powers, and to her amazement the barn caught fire.
“Moira, push the fire.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Conall emerged from the barn to see the fire closing in. It would soon reach the castle. His clan was no longer safe here. “Angus, get them to the caves.”
But the clan had stayed focused on Effie even while the fire burned. When the flames had started, he had glanced at Gregor, thinking he had betrayed him, but Gregor had stayed by his side.
Whoever set the fire was Glenna’s attacker, and the only one who could give him those answers was Effie. If the clan didn’t kill her first. Before he reached Effie, a loud explosion sounded behind him. He turned to find the barn ablaze, but the original fire had yet to reach it.
“There,” Angus shouted, and pointed to the cliff.
Glenna had saved them. He and his clan watched as the two fires melded and fought for control until there was nothing left to burn. He wanted to go to her, to thank her, but his clan had turned back to Effie.
He reached Effie to see her huddled in a ball as his clan threw anything at her they could get their hands on. “Enough,” he bellowed to gain their attention.
They looked at him, the violence still in their eyes. “She betrayed the clan,” someone yelled.
“Aye, she did. But Ailsa is returned home thanks to Glenna.”
“Banish her,” a woman hollered.
Conall looked down at the once-proud Effie. Her red hair and face splattered with mud and rotten food, her gown torn, shoes missing, and defeat shown in her eyes.
He knelt beside her. “You’ve got one chance to answer me or I’ll let them finish you off.”
She swallowed and nodded.
“Why do you hate Ailsa?”
“She prevented you from marrying me.”
Conall jerked he was so surprised. “Explain yourself.”
“I’m the one who convinced Mary not to tell you of the babe. I knew if you found out you’d marry her.”
“You’ve already told me this.” He sighed and waited for the rest.
“I thought I had everything under control until she looked at the brat and said she wanted you to know.”
“So you killed her,” he deduced.
Effie nodded though no tears were on her face. “It was easy to convince Mary’s mother to keep Ailsa from you.”
Conall sighed at her words. How an innocent child could do this to a person appalled him. “And Glenna?”
Effie raised her eyes to his and hatred burned there. “When I saw the way you looked at her I knew I had to get rid of her.”
“I know you didn’t try to kill her. Who did?”
She cackled. “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”
“We know he’s a Druid. Tell me his name.”
“Even if I did you’d never be able to hurt him. He’s too powerful.”
“We’ll find him. Give the clan a reason not to want your banishment. Give me his name,” he tried again.
Effie’s eyes burned bright with her secret. “I’ll die before I betray him.”
Conall knew his time was short, and he needed as many answers as he could get. “How do you know MacNeil?”
“I was but a child when I came to this clan. We lied about where we came from.”
“And what clan was that? MacNeil’s?”
“Nay.”
“Tell me,” he threatened. He had grown weary of her vague answers. He needed truth, and with his power gone, he didn’t have that assurance.
“Nay,” she yelled, and scrambled to her feet. “You’ll never find that out, or the man who tried to kill Glenna. He’ll get her yet, you know.”
Conall stood and spotted the dirk in her hand. He didn’t know how she had gotten it, and it didn’t matter. He just wanted her to drop it so they could continue to talk.
“Put it down, Effie.”
“I’m fulfilling my family obligation.”
“And that is?” he asked as he took a step toward her.
“To make sure no Sinclairs ever live again.”
Conall rushed toward her, but she had already buried the dirk in her stomach. She crumpled to the earth, her lifeless eyes open to the sky.
* * * * *
The Shadow ducked behind a tree. He had been curious to see how Effie handled herself. He had been more than a little surprised when she had ended her own life. He had never held much respect for her until that moment.
Things hadn’t gone to plan. Whenever MacNeil was involved, things never went as planned, he thought to himself. He would have to give MacNeil more incentive to go according to plan.
How many times had he told MacNeil he should have checked those girls at the Sinclairs? Countless, in fact. But MacNeil had assured him they were the older sisters. Even then he had known MacNeil had erred. Now MacNeil would learn just how much his error had cost him. Not all the Sinclair sisters had to die.
In fact, only one needed to give up her life, and he had already decided Glenna would be that sister.
He sighed. He had thought killing her would be easy, but she had fought like a she-cat. The only saving grace is that she hadn’t seen his face and given him away.
Although the fact they knew he was a Druid disturbed him. He would have to rethink staying by Moira. Maybe it would be better if he went away for a little while.
Voices brought him back to the present. He looked to find some men carting Effie’s body away. He needed to get back to the circle and begin planning the next stage, and he needed to check on Moira. He wouldn’t put it past MacNeil to disobey him yet again and kill Moira instead of Glenna.
MacNeil would survive this day, so he didn’t waste any thought on him. Nay, his mind turned to keeping Moira for himself and making sure one of the sisters died.
Together he and Moira could rule Scotland like the
sidhe
once did before they left this earth. Once more magic would reign supreme in this land. No more hiding what they were. The power of the Fae would push aside kings and rule people’s tiny minds. It would be so very easy, and since he had found a way to block himself from the Fae he could move around freely.
He would just have to stay away from Dartayous. That warrior saw through his shield and could very well ruin all his carefully laid plans.
* * * * *
Glenna rounded on MacNeil once the fire was safely out. “You of all people should know my abilities.”
“Your kind all deserve to die. I kept you alive,” he spat. “And look at the thanks I get in return.”
“You killed my parents,” she yelled, barely controlling her fury. “The prophecy will come to pass. Your days are numbered.”
He laughed, the sinister sound as black as the devil’s heart. “You can’t fool me. You don’t have the other sister. And I’d wager you don’t even know where she is.”
“I don’t think you’d care to gamble on that,” Moira said, a haunty blonde brow raised.
MacNeil’s lip curled in a sneer. “Oh, I can assure you, wench, I’ll find her faster than you.”
“I doubt that.”
MacNeil shrugged nonchalantly. “I have an ally you’ll never find, an ally who’s already tried to kill Glenna. He’ll succeed next time. That I promise you.”
Glenna had had enough. Her confidence in her powers gave her self-assurance she had never had. With just a simple thought she erupted a fire around MacNeil and his men. Moira brought a gust of wind into play and the flames danced around the horses’ hooves.
The men hired by MacNeil began to yell to each other to flee. MacNeil saw the confusion and sought to gain their allegiance. “I’ll give you another bag of gold each if you stay and fight.”
“Ye didna say nothing of the Druids,” a voice called out.
“They’re nothing. We outnumber them. It’s two wenches against an army,” he argued.
But the soldiers would have nothing of it. Glenna extinguished the blaze, and the hired men fled for their lives. She and Moira shared a smile until the banging of the castle gates flying open reached their ears.
“Nay,” Glenna said, and grabbed hold of Moira’s hand when she spotted Conall running toward MacNeil.
* * * * *
Conall had seen enough. He refused to hide behind the castle walls while Glenna and Moira battled MacNeil. Battle was for men, not women, not even Druid women.
Angus sidled up next to him. “With the mercenaries gone, our men equal the MacNeil soldiers.”
It was all the encouragement Conall needed. He brushed past Angus and Gregor and ran down the steps to the bailey. His soldiers lined the battlements and stood ready in the bailey.
“It’s time, men. Now’s our chance for revenge,” he said, and was met with a chorus of cheers. He turned to Angus. “Keep the archers going.”
“If you think you’re leaving me behind yer daft,” Angus said, and signaled to a soldier before following Conall.
Conall nodded to the guards. The gates flew open as he roared the MacInnes war cry. The MacNeil soldiers who remained were surprised at the attack since their attention had been on Glenna and Moira.
He found MacNeil and made his way toward him as MacInnes men continued to yell the war cry. MacNeil saw him and spurred his horse. Conall planted his feet and waited until the horse was almost upon him. Then he stepped to the side and slashed his sword across MacNeil’s calf.
MacNeil cried out and clutched his leg while at the same time jerking on the reins. The horse reared and sent MacNeil tumbling to the ground. But Conall didn’t get the chance to end MacNeil’s life as soldiers swarmed around him. Conall lost track of MacNeil as he fought, the sweat stinging his eyes, until something bumped into him from behind.
He turned and found Angus at his back. “Just like old times, aye, my friend.”
“Frankly, I’m getting too old for this,” Angus said, and stuck his sword into a soldier’s belly.
Conall finished off his last solider and watched as MacNeil advanced on Gregor from behind. Conall dove at MacNeil and landed his shoulder into MacNeil’s stomach.