“I only want the best for you,” Chiomara had murmured as she knelt beside Jackie’s tub earlier. “Ye need to survive, sister.”
“What does that mean?” Though Jackie already pretty much got the gist of it. “I should marry Eoghan without complaint?”
“Yes.” Chiomara squeezed her hand and met her eyes. “Forget these feelings ye have for Devlin. Father will never allow it. And if Eoghan finds out, ‘twill make his evil wrath so much more vengeful.” Her eyes pled. “’Tis evil, sister. That which can cause harm we cannot comprehend.”
Jackie meant to say it would be okay, that she would never put them in harm’s way, but something else came from her mouth. Something she imagined Gwendolyn once said.
“What sort of life are any of us to lead if we give into Eoghan Dubhdiadh? If we give in to evil so that it might save our people for one more day? Because trust me, a bargain struck like this will see no satisfying end. ‘Twill want more, again and again through the centuries.”
She was torn from thought when Eoghan sat beside her. Teeth clenched, she focused on remaining calm. And only one person could do that for her here.
Darach.
Or Devlin.
Jackie sipped her mead and watched him. As befit his station, he sat at the head of the table closest to the dais. He wore no armor now. God knows, he didn’t look any less intimidating with his wide shoulders and tall, muscled body. She couldn’t help but notice his various weapons. They almost seemed part of him. As if he was born knowing how to wield each and every one
When his eyes met hers, she knew he would protect her at all cost.
“Eat and act as normal as you can,” he murmured.
“I’ll try.”
“Don’t try. Do. I’m right here, and dinnae intend to go anywhere.”
She had never heard the particular octave he used in her mind. A new sternness. But she wasn’t fighting it. Darach was all she had here. All that made sense. Outside of her ‘sister’ Chiomara. A woman who would apparently mark the beginning of so much when she conceived Adlin MacLomain.
Eoghan leaned close and murmured in Jackie’s ear, “Ye look very becoming, lassie. But ‘twill be good to finally get ye out of those clothes...to make ye mine at last.”
Jackie offered him a tight smile. When their eyes connected, she saw three distinct things. Possessiveness. Lust. Obsession.
It was that last one that sent shivers up her spine.
This man would stop at nothing to have her. Actually, Gwendolyn.
A terrible sense of foreboding rushed through her when her eyes returned to Darach. One way or another, he would end up in Eoghan’s direct line of fire. She just knew it. Almost as if magic warned her.
That’s when she realized.
She felt what Gwendolyn once did. It was easy to forget that all of these moments had already been lived. That she and Darach were simply passengers on a ride that had already run its course...that somehow led to the future.
Chiomara and King Erc.
Eoghan’s eventual desire for Chiomara.
It was all so strange considering their current circumstances.
When Eoghan pulled her hand onto his lap, dangerously close to his groin, bile rose in her throat. Food untouched, Darach’s eyes narrowed on them. Not something he would normally do considering how dangerous things were. No, like her, he was partially a puppet to his other half. Devlin. And both, it seemed, were acting out a play they couldn’t control.
“A toast,” Chiomara declared and held up her cup. “To a marriage that might see all flourish.”
Though Jackie knew Chiomara did it to distract Darach, it didn’t work. Instead, he and Eoghan’s eyes narrowed on each other. People raised their mugs, but Eoghan interrupted them before anyone could respond.
“I can think of no better way to toast my upcoming betrothal than to see a good battle.” Eoghan’s pinky finger slowly twirled around the rim of his goblet as he eyed Darach. “Lord Sithchean, your first-in-command against mine. After we eat. Before I’m married. I know just the spot.”
“Of course,” Lord Sithchean said.
“A fight to the death.”
“But you can no’ mean that, good Druid.” Her father shook his head. “Not on such a blessed day.”
“Blessed indeed.” A sly smile came to Eoghan’s face as his eyes narrowed further on Darach. “We shall call this a sacrifice to the gods so they might show favor to our union.”
“But surely death is not such a way to mark our,” Jackie began before she was cut off.
“There is no better way to begin our life together than to spill the blood of he who looks at ye with such desire,” Eoghan hissed.
Her stomach flipped, and though tempted to look, she kept her eyes from Darach.
“He wants you dead,” she said into his mind. “He knows about Gwendolyn and Devlin.”
“That doesnae overly surprise me,” he responded.
“No.” Jackie sighed. “It sounds like Gwendolyn was very opposed to this marriage. That she had strong feelings for Devlin long before they started sneaking off together.”
“How long?” Darach said, an edge of surprise to his voice, likely because she hadn’t shared this yet. She had learned about it after their last conversation.
“Probably early teenage years by the sound of it,” she murmured. “According to Chiomara, Gwendolyn never loved another.”
“Och, my dreams,” he murmured and rested his forehead against his palm. To most, it appeared he might be upset over the upcoming battle, but she knew better. Images started to flicker through her mind. Dreams that finally made sense. More so to her because she knew what she looked like when she was younger...the same way Gwendolyn had.
Maybe around the age of twelve, they laughed as they jumped into a river, hand in hand. Then they were a little older. Maybe fourteen. This time, they raced through the woods. She tripped. He was on the ground seconds later, cradling her head, worried she was hurt. At that moment, looking into each other’s eyes, something more than friendship sparked. They didn’t kiss. Not yet. But soon enough other dreams filtered through her mind.
Far more intimate ones.
But none were so intense as the one where she wore a wreath of flowers on her head. A dress of white. Vows were made beneath a lush green oak tree. They were in a glade surrounded by mountains cut through by a bubbling brook that led to a cliff overlooking a wide expanse of ocean. That’s when she gave him the handkerchief.
Darach and Jackie’s eyes shot to each other.
“Oh my God,” she said. “Gwendolyn and Devlin got married without anyone knowing.”
“Aye,” he said. “And it happened in an area that we now call the Celtic Otherworld.”
“I tire of tasteless food,” Eoghan declared and stood abruptly, yanking her after him. “I wish to see a quick defeat in battle then marry my bride.”
All Jackie could think about as Eoghan pulled her after him was what he had said when they’d been in the Otherworld. How he’d implied it was their spot. Her terrible sense of foreboding only grew stronger as he led her out of the castle. His warriors suited him well. They were just as dark and ominous as they fell into step behind them.
She suppressed renewed fear when she saw who led them. The man who could only be Eoghan’s first-in-command. Bald and rugged, he was as tall as Darach and ferocious looking. His boulder-like shoulders were broad, and veins bulged over heavy muscles. The bear of a man wore a never-ending snarl.
“Dinnae fret,” Darach reassured. “I’ve fought larger and meaner than the likes of him.”
Somehow that didn’t make her feel any better. Nor did the way everyone lowered their heads and backed away as Eoghan led her through the village. Fear permeated the air. It had mothers tucking their children behind their skirts and dogs tucking their tails between their legs as they crouched and whined.
“I don’t like this, Darach,” she said as Eoghan pulled her after him. “I’ve got a really bad f
eeling.”
“Worry naught, lass. ‘Tis just your surroundings making you feel that way,” he said. “All will be well.”
She frowned as Eoghan led her past the gates and up a hill. “Remember what I said about telling me what I want to hear?”
“Aye, that you dinnae like it.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, you’ve little choice, lass,” he murmured. “Because I’m telling you what needs to be said...for both our sakes.”
Jackie pressed her lips together. While frustrated, she understood. He was as honest as he could be under the circumstances. Something he might not have done even a day ago if it spared her from worrying. Oh yes, she understood his reasoning. More than that, she had begun to realize that it was genuinely difficult for him to be anything but a nice guy. He saw no reason for her to be upset when he could take the weight on himself.
She tried to remain focused on Darach as Eoghan and his entourage led her through the forest toward a special destination. Thankfully, though she was terrified, it wasn’t all that hard to keep her mind on Darach. On the glimpses of his dreams. The life they had shared here. One that gave her a deeper understanding of how close they had been. Maybe that didn’t count toward what they shared now, but it was...something.
Something she couldn’t ignore or pretend didn’t happen.
Jackie was so caught up in thought that it took several moments before she realized where they eventually ended up. How far had they walked? The hills were more mountainous and the landscape so familiar that she froze.
“It can’t be,” she whispered.
“Aye,” Eoghan murmured. “’Tis our place. Where I first laid eyes on ye and will ultimately marry ye.”
“God, Darach,” she whispered into his mind. “This can’t be happening.”
But it was.
They had just arrived at the Celtic Otherworld.
Except it looked far more welcoming. Birds chirped. A light breeze blew, rippling leaves on hundreds of trees. Yet one stood apart from the rest. She recognized it instantly.
A young oak.
It was the same one that would eventually become decrepit and shrunken in the Otherworld. The one she nursed Erin back to health beneath. One she knew Nicole and Rònan had once sat under. More than that, it was the one she and Darach...no, Gwendolyn and Devlin got married beneath.
A marriage that nobody ever knew about.
Was it even valid?
Yet the minute she thought it, her chest tightened and her breathing grew choppy. Gwendolyn took her commitment to Devlin very seriously. Then why hadn’t she said something? Why had she let it get this far?
But as she watched the way Eoghan and his men took over everything and felt the darkness surrounding them, she began to understand. Gwendolyn might have fallen in love with and married another man, but she wasn’t willing to risk the safety of her people for it. People who were clearly in harm’s way if she didn’t marry this monster.
Eoghan threw up his arms and declared, “Let our first-in-commands battle here. Let this be a fight for the ages.”
A roar arose from both Eoghan and Lord Sithchean’s warriors as everyone formed a huge circle, half on one side of the stream, half on the other. Eoghan’s man tore off his armor and tunic. Darach pulled off his cloak and tunic before he leapt the water, turned, crouched and bent his head.
“Remember what I taught you, lass,” he said into her mind. “Become aware of everything around you. The direction of the wind. The landscape. Pay attention to it all so that you might see clearer when it matters most.”
“He looks like a mean bastard, Darach,” she said, her stomach in knots. “I think you should open your eyes.”
His opponent chuckled as he unsheathed his blade and swung it back and forth, his steely gaze never leaving Darach.
“Are you aware of your surroundings, Jackie?” he whispered into her mind.
What? “Are you serious?” She grew more and more anxious as Eoghan’s warrior’s started chanting. “I’m pretty sure it’s all about you right now, Darach.”
“Nay.” He lowered his head even more, almost as if he was disheartened by what was to come. “Right now is about us. Our survival. Close your eyes. Tell me about your surroundings. If you were in my position, what would matter most?”
“This should be bloody good,” Eoghan said with a sneer. “Look, your Da’s warrior already knows his end comes soon.”
“Do it, Jackie,” Darach reiterated. “You’re close enough. Close your eyes and tell me what’s happening around me. Tell me what can be used.”
Oh, the man! Was this really the best time for a lesson? Frustrated, cornered, she scowled.
“Dinnae be mad, just focus,” he said. “Now.”
“Stand, Darach.” She frowned as she watched his opponent pace the opposite shore, a mere fifteen feet away. “Fight him!”
“Let Eoghan enjoy the defeat he thinks he already has and tell me of my surroundings,” Darach said. “Once you do, I will continue to teach you how to fight.”
Darach’s opponent flexed his muscles as he swung a sword in one hand and an axe in the other.
“Prove to me you’re worth training. That you are a lass who can fight like Erin and Nicole.”
Her eyes narrowed. God, he was stubborn. For sure, she was worth training. So she closed her eyes, exhaled...and focused.
The wind blew her hair back. The sun had been setting to her right. So the wind came out of the north. It blustered then dwindled then picked up. No storm was coming. The trees barely moved save the ones she stood near. They were caught in a slight but shifting wind. She tilted her head.
Mountains.
They created a wind tunnel.
Eoghan’s man took a step. It sounded far away, but she knew it was close.
“Verra good,” Darach whispered, sensing her thoughts. “What else can you tell about his step?”
She almost opened her eyes. “That it’s damn close!”
“Nay, Jackie,” he growled, so serious she stopped short. “What else?”
Pissed off, she kept her eyes closed and tried to focus. His enemy had just walked on the rocks next to the stream, he was ready to lash out, then...nothing...why nothing? What gave no sound...what became silent...
“He’s at the edge of the river!” she said. “The ground is soft.”
“Aye, verra good. Now watch,” Darach said calmly. “And whatever you do, dinnae respond. Keep a level head. I’ll be all right.”
Her eyes shot open. What did he mean by that? She soon found out.
Darach never lifted his head but whipped a dagger that caught his nemesis in the thigh. The man fell to his knee, growling as he yanked the blade free. He tossed his head back and laughed before he whipped a dagger. Darach shifted his shoulder just in the nick of time. She almost flinched but schooled her reaction.
Darach stayed put and slumped more, as though he was the one already defeated. Eoghan bought into it and preened.
“I could have killed him already but I would rather everyone underestimate me,” he said. “This also allows more opportunity for you to learn.”
“I’d rather you kill him now,” she muttered. “I can learn later.”
“’Tis always best to assume there willnae be much more time, lass,” he said. “’Tis best that you learn as much as you can now whilst there’s battling to be had.”
Jackie kept scowling, but it was apparently pointless to argue with him.
“Under the assumption that I’m an easy target, several more are about to make their move," he said.
“I thought this was supposed to be one on one,” she said.
“Och, nay,” he murmured. “A man like Eoghan isnae honorable. He meant this to be a quick slaughter. ‘Tis something you should always keep in mind when dealing with your enemy. ‘Tis unlikely they will keep their word.”
Two men moved in Darach’s direction.
“Always assess the various threats coming at you
and plan accordingly. The one on the right wants Eoghan to notice him so he’ll make a show of it. It’s the one behind him that could be trouble. He has a steady gaze and cares nothing for what others think," Darach said as the first two men he mentioned rushed at him. “Then there’s a third. The real first-in-command.”
What? She had no chance to question him before he continued.
“The axe is a more cumbersome weapon to carry while fighting so I’ll use it first and take down my immediate threat. The man who cares nothing of what others think.” He reached his arm over his shoulder then whipped an ax. His target fell.
“A dagger is easier to aim and can take down opponents quicker. Just hold it loosely by the hilt, don’t think, just aim and throw.” He whipped one at the guy trying to impress Eoghan then spun and whipped another. It lodged in a man’s shoulder. “That’s the real first-in-command. I’ll get back to him in a moment whilst that dagger does its job and weakens his sword arm.”
All the while, Eoghan looked more and more frustrated.
Darach pulled his sword, leapt the stream and used the edge of the blade to splash water in the big guy’s face. The man who was supposed to be first-in-command. Momentarily blinded, he never saw what was coming until Darach’s blade was through his neck.
Her father’s men cheered.
Eoghan cursed, his expression only growing more thunderous as Darach pulled his blade free, leapt the water again and went after the real first-in-command. A slight man who barely came up to his chin.
“Size doesnae matter in the least,” Darach said. “As you’ll soon find out.”
Darach wasn’t kidding. Despite his injury, the little guy moved with matched speed and agility as they crossed blades. Fast and furious, they drove at each other, spinning, leaping, thrusting. They fought so quickly she barely kept up with Darach’s moves. Yet she didn’t miss how graceful he was. How could she ever hope to fight like that?
“You set your mind to it and practice hard,” he responded. “I will teach you well, lass.”
Jackie pushed her sadness away at the determination in his voice. How convinced he sounded. Because they both knew she didn’t have that kind of time. And neither would Darach if Eoghan got his way.
The MacLomain Series: Later Years - a Scottish Time Travel Romance Boxed Set Page 97