by Mary Morgan
The sounds of battle echoed around him, snapping Liam out of his thoughts and his current situation. Turning around, he gently lifted Abela into his arms. Placing a soft kiss upon her brow, he whispered, “Do not leave me, mo ghrá.”
In a shard of light, Liam transported them back into the Fae realm.
****
As Liam crept along the corridors of the Crystal Palace, he kept his shields around them. Passing several Fae, he remained focused on his progress. They spoke in hushed whispers as they skirted around a marble column. Liam swiftly ascended the polished amber stairs. An arched passageway filled with ivy and jasmine stood out in stark relief against the crystal walls, and he frowned in confusion. Was he in the wrong area? Beyond this lush foliage was Conn’s chambers and in all of his time with the warrior, the area had remained untouched and clear. Slowly moving along the hallway, he came to a bend and peered around the corner. Noting the two Fenian Warriors positioned outside Conn’s chambers, he let out a sigh of relief, grateful they were not royal guards.
Striding forth, he removed his shields. “Let me enter, Markus.”
The warrior nodded. “The prince has alerted us of your coming.” He knocked three times and then opened the massive oak doors.
Liam stepped inside and glanced around. The doors to the garden were open, and children’s laughter spilled into the chamber. Abela moaned within his arms. “Hello?” he shouted. “Is Ivy here?”
He crossed the chamber and went to a cushioned bench. “Shh…you are home, mo ghrá.”
“I am Ivy,” answered the soft feminine voice behind him.
After brushing a lock of hair away from Abela’s damp brow, he stood and faced the tiny woman. “I am Liam MacGregor, and this is—”
“Oh my stars! Abela!” Ivy rushed to her side and knelt down. “What happened?”
Liam had no time to give an account on his beloved’s condition. “Can you send for the Master Apothecary and the healer?” She glanced sharply at him, and he quickly added, “Conn told me to mention the words, Celtic Knot.”
“Yes, yes.” Ivy stood and crossed to the entrance. After giving Markus instructions in a hushed tone, she returned to Liam’s side. “Give me a few moments to prepare a room.”
He gave her a curt nod and watched her vanish down a corridor. Ivy’s few moments turned into fifteen agonizing minutes as Liam paced in front of Abela. He was prepared to go in search of her, when she returned in a soft whisper. “Please follow me,” she ordered.
He gathered Abela into his arms and proceeded down the corridor after Ivy. The woman led him into a small chamber already lit with candles. The air was permeated with the scent of rosemary and lavender.
Ivy gestured for Liam to settle Abela onto the bed. His beloved gasped as he propped more velvet pillows under her head. “Shh…all will be well.”
A woman entered the room. She approached and dipped her head. “I am called, Aelish.”
“I am aware of who you are, Lady Aelish. We met once long ago. I pray you can heal the princess. Where is the other healer?”
“I am the only one required. We do not want to alert anyone else. Permit me to make my examination alone with the priestess,” suggested Aelish.
Liam bent and placed a kiss on Abela’s cheek, giving no care to who witnessed his display of emotion. He then turned to Aelish. “Alert me of your findings first.”
Aelish clasped her hands together, surveying him skeptically. She peered over his shoulder at the other woman.
“Do as he requests,” ordered Ivy and tugged on Liam’s arm. “Let me offer you some food and drink.”
“Don’t bother,” he argued, curious as to why Aelish would take orders from another Fae, especially from one who spoke with an odd accent. He pondered what part of the realm she belonged to.
“Nevertheless, it is the least I can do,” she explained and moved to the door.
Liam hesitated, giving Abela one last look before following Ivy out of the chamber. As she led him down another corridor, he asked, “Did I hear children earlier? And if I may ask, what is your involvement with Prince Conn?”
Ivy paused before a stained-glass window. “Yes, there are children in the garden.”
He found it odd she would profess the presence of the children, but nothing about herself. A blush stained her cheeks, and he realized he was staring at her. There was something different about the diminutive female. Her blonde hair was cropped short and there was an aura about her unlike any other Fae. Not only Fae, but human!
Liam staggered back, his back slamming into the wall. “You’re human. Present day earth?” He surveyed the multi-colored pendant hanging around her neck filled with tears of a Fae, and all the pieces fell into place.
As if reading his thoughts, she acknowledged, “Yes, I was human. However, I now have the blood of the Fae within my veins. I am Conn’s wife.” She clasped the pendant. “This was from Conn.”
The declaration was like a blow to his body, and Liam knelt on one knee. “Princess Ivy, I presume.” He fisted his hand over his heart in reverence to her royalty status.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Please, just Ivy. And before you pass judgment on Conn, hear the story of his quest.”
Liam glanced up into her eyes. “Can you not share it with me?”
“Only that he gave me his blood to save my life. But there were strings attached. And yes, we love each other very much. You must ask for the full account from him.” She bit her lip. “Please get up.”
Liam stood. Had the months turned into years? Though he was unaware of how much time passed in his seclusion, he had to ask, “Are the children yours?”
Ivy placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and the tension eased from Liam’s body. “One is. Her name is Sorcha.”
Liam sensed there was more Ivy wanted to say, but she remained silent as they continued along the corridor. She led him into Conn’s inner chamber. “I will fetch you something to eat and drink. It is much quieter here than in the main chamber. The children can get loud with their antics.”
“I am quite fond of children,” he confessed and moved to an arched window. He could make out one of small girls chasing butterflies across the lush landscape, and he smiled. Another one sat content on the ground, waving her chubby hands in the air. “Which one is Sorcha?”
“The blonde-hair lass sitting down and observing.”
He was going to inquire about the other one with dark locks, when a woman strolled across the garden. She was a vision, radiant and…something else. He placed his hands on the glass panes. “By the hounds, is she a human, too?”
“I’ll be right back,” replied Ivy slowly.
He turned abruptly. “Stay…princess.”
A look of mischief shone in her eyes. “I suppose since you’ve already guessed, she is human, and the little girl flitting about with the butterflies is her daughter.”
His mind reeled, and he collapsed onto the window bench. “The father?”
“Your brother, Rory,” she responded and darted out of the chamber.
Liam raked a shaky hand through his hair. “No wonder there is a division in the realm. I would never have dreamed that two Fenian Warriors would go mad.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Abela transformed my life into a rainbow of mosaic colors. If she dies, I will follow into the abyss.”
~Chronicles of Liam MacGregor
His thoughts were scattered, and indecision battled inside Liam as he steadily made his way out of Conn’s chamber and into the garden. Anger, betrayal, jubilation, and many more emotions clouded him as he stood at the entrance and gazed out at the scene below. Conn’s secular garden retreat was always known to be vast, but Liam sensed the prince had expanded since he last visited a hundred years ago.
Approaching the woman slowly, he marveled at her beauty and more. There was an earthy quality about her, and he smiled. “My brother has married well,” he whispered.
An ache settled inside
his heart, and he longed to speak more with Rory. Soon, he would return to his prison, and he yearned to hear about his journey in finding love.
He clasped his hands behind his back. “Greetings.”
The woman turned abruptly. She lifted her chin as if studying him.
“I am Liam MacGregor, Rory’s brother.”
“Aye, I ken who ye are,” she responded with a smile and pointed to his arm. “I noted your armband, similar to Rory’s.”
Unclasping his hand, Liam touched the silver family relic. “I was unaware my brother had found his. He claimed to have lost it many years ago.”
“Have ye not seen him?”
“Yes, but he was wearing clothing suitable for the century we were in. Furthermore, we had little time to discuss recent events.” Liam stepped forward and bowed slightly. “Welcome to the family, Lady…”
She laughed. “Sweet Goddess! Where are my manners? I am Erina.”
Liam took a hold of her hand and placed a kiss along her knuckles. “It is an honor. From what part of Scotland do you come from?”
“The village of Lindane,” she responded, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
“Ahh…Loch Etive on the west coast. I know the area well from my travels there.”
“Aye,” she beamed. “Rory has shared his stories with me.”
The wee lass toddled over to her mother and hid among the folds of her gossamer gown. Her raven hair was similar to Rory’s, and he marveled at how the butterflies hovered around her like a crown of jewels.
Liam knelt on one knee in front of her. “What is your name, child?”
She giggled. Reaching outward with her hand, she placed it center to his chest. Angelica
He blinked in fascination. “What a beautiful name.” Liam traced a path across her cheek with his finger. “A rare gift to speak so young within a Fae’s mind. I am your uncle.”
She let out another burst of laughter and glanced upward at her mother.
A few quiet moments passed before Erina nodded. “Yes, ye may go play with Sorcha. But please, no more flowers. I believe she has plenty around her.”
Liam watched as the lass skipped away from her mother. “She possesses a unique gift.”
“One of many,” affirmed Erina. “She is to be the next Master Apothecary.”
He brushed a hand down the back of his neck. “Part Fae and human. Our realm is indeed changing.”
“So Rory has explained. Even Sorcha is special.”
“Do tell,” he drawled, glancing at the wee Fae who resembled Conn.
“She will become the next High Seer, but only after her mother, Ivy.”
Liam snapped his attention to the woman and stared at her in disbelief. “Forgive my insensitive nature, but you’re both human. How can this be?”
Erina shrugged. “I was raised by my grandmother, whom ye ken as Aelish.” She gently touched his arm. “Mayhap, the Goddess has determined to set both Fae and human on a path joined together. Who are we to question the journey?”
“Or outcome,” added Liam, stunned by the declaration that Aelish had raised her. This is why the kingdom is divided. Fae allowing humans to enter the realm and marry would certainly cause friction.
“There you are,” stated Ivy, bringing forth a tray with food and drink onto the terrace. After setting it down, she made her way toward them. “I know you said you didn’t want anything, but you must be exhausted, and I would never forgive myself for not being a proper hostess to one of Conn’s dearest friends.”
“Seriously?” Liam barked out in laughter, the sound foreign to him. “I deem he has severed our friendship after finding out Abela is now my wife.”
Both women gaped at him.
Ivy was the first to recover her wits. “I think I need a dram of something more potent than the honeyed lemonade I brought.” She hurried back up the steps and disappeared inside.
“Aye, I will take one, too,” mumbled Erina.
“Make that three!” shouted Liam.
Ivy returned carrying a bottle under her arm and three glasses. Handing the bottle to Liam, she gave a glass to Erina and held onto the other two. “This calls for a celebration, and I don’t think Conn will mind, regardless of how he might feel about his sister marrying you.”
Liam snorted and held the bottle outward, studying the label. “Do you realize how old this rare bottle of whisky is, Princess Ivy? I appreciate the gesture, but will not partake.”
She frowned and tapped her foot in irritation. “Yes, I do. It comes from my home town of Glennamore in Ireland. It was found along with several rare bottles of wine in the ruins of Castle Lintel. In addition, I have asked that you call me Ivy. It’s beyond maddening that the rest of the kingdom bows or curtsies each time I wander away from the palace. I realize I am the princess of the realm, but among friends, I’d like to be just Ivy.” She held the glasses outward. “Would you be so kind as to do the honors?”
Liam acknowledged her with a kiss on the cheek. “Since you insist.” Retrieving his dirk from his belt, he removed the wax from the bottle. “Before I leave, you must share how you brought the great Conn MacRoich to the marriage pact.”
Ivy gestured outward with her hand. “Simple. We fell in love.”
Letting out a sigh, he poured a small amount of the amber liquid into all three glasses and then placed the bottle on the marble ledge. Love. How peculiar all three of them found the women they were destined to spend the rest of their lives with. Nonetheless, his was a somber contradiction. Liam’s relationship with Abela was forbidden, and her life now in grave danger.
Ivy handed him his glass, snapping him out of his grim thoughts.
“Let me be the first to congratulate you on your marriage to the priestess,” said Ivy.
“Aye,” agreed, Erina. “May it be a blessed union.”
How he yearned for the woman’s blessing to come true. Tossing back the whisky, he savored its intense peaty flavor. The heat seared a path throughout his body, but Liam’s mind battled against the inevitable, and a chill swept over him.
The possibility of a future without his beloved Abela.
“Aelish is one of our strongest healers,” reassured Ivy, smiling at him.
He fingered the rim of the glass. “I pray we are not too late.” He laughed bitterly. “I even used her blood to help transport us through the stones and the Veil of Ages. I suppose it did not help her current health situation.”
Ivy glanced at Erina and then returned her attention to him. “We are both learning the lore of the Fae realm. Yet, we are not privy to the knowledge of the Brotherhood.”
“Even the future seer must have some wisdom about the Fenian Warriors,” he professed dryly.
“Perhaps I have some insight into the warriors, but not about your laws.”
“Regardless, Abela is fading from this world as we speak.” Liam swept his gaze over the bucolic garden, trying to remain positive.
“If I may make a suggestion, I have prepared a room next to Abela’s, so you’ll be able to hear any news first.”
Liam nodded slowly. “Yes, I would like to wait there. Thank you both for your warm welcome and for sharing how you came into our world.” He placed his glass on the ledge and gestured for Ivy to move forward.
****
Liam stared at the starlight reflecting through the crystal ceiling. Unable to quiet his mind, he tried reaching out to Abela while resting on the divan. Not even a thread of acknowledgment made it back to him and worry infused his spirit. He placed his hands beneath his head and continued to survey the stars. How his beloved enjoyed sharing stories of all the dragons in the sky on their first days of courting. She knew all the ancient guardians’ names, and she often teased him on his fading recollection.
“Can you not tell me at least ten names?” she asked, poking his toe with her foot.
Liam leaned against the tree. “Why should I? Once they departed from our realm, they were known as the Guardians or Great Dragons.”
She took a step back and sadness swept over her delicate features. “You dishonor them by forgetting.”
He shook his head solemnly. “Their names are emblazed on my soul—forever. I have no need to recite them out loud. Yet, I am truly amazed at your knowledge.” Liam would never divulge his lack of memory to her. The names would always be within his spirit, but not mind.
Abela dipped a curtsy. “Why thank you for the compliment.” She gave him one of her alluring smiles and strolled along the bank of the river.
“Where are you going?” he asked, pushing away from the tree.
Lifting her hand up to the night sky, she responded, “To teach you at least ten of the names and where they are located in the cosmos. It will be your lesson for tonight.”
“Ahh…a challenge.” He approached and walked alongside her. “Will there be a reward for my test?”
“Of course,” she beamed. “I shall grant you one kiss.”
Liam reached for her hand, bringing them both to a halt. “Only one? Are there not ten names?”
“We…well…yes. But what—”
He drew her near him and leaned close to her ear. “For each name I can recite, I will demand a kiss. Therefore, if I can recall ten, I shall take that many kisses.”
Abela’s mouth opened on a sigh. “Let the test begin,” she whispered.
Liam rubbed a hand over his brow at the long-forgotten memory. “I can still remember their names, mo ghrá.” He sat and regarded all the ancient guardians, some gazing back down at him.
A crash resounded outside the chamber, and Liam jumped up from the divan. As he was about to exit the room, the door exploded into shards of wood. Swiftly withdrawing his sword, he started to move forward and then froze.
Liam dropped to one knee and placed his blade on the ground. “King Ansgar.”
“I should kill you now!” bellowed the king, his eyes flashing with outrage.
“I believe the prince stated the same.”
“Liam MacGregor, I charge you back to your prison to await your trial. Death will come soon thereafter. Guards remove his sword and escort this man to the Room of Reflection.”