by Teri Barnett
“You are supposed to be rescuing your betrothed. Not hiding away in a useless dream!”
Dylan froze. He remembered. Maere. He had to save her. As the vision of Maere’s face filled his mind and heart, that of the cottage and Kate faded. He slowly opened his eyes to the muffled cries of his beloved. Eugis was hovering over her, his men huddled close around them, the light of the torches casting an uneven glow.
Seelie whispered, “Are you awake?”
Dylan’s head ached. He tugged at the rope and realized they were bound to the remnant of an old tree. Dylan stilled his mind and body, letting all thoughts take flight, and opened up to the tree. The energy imprint left behind swirled through him, healing his wounds, strengthening his awareness.
“Can you hear me?” a deep voice whispered to him.
“Aye, tree, I hear you well.”
“I’m not a tree, man. Have they taken your senses?”
Dylan turned his head slightly. It wasn’t the tree speaking to him, but a tall Northman instead.
Bleary-eyed from the mistletoe, Maere stared over Eugis’s shoulder as he towered above her. “Nimue,” she whispered to the bright moon. “Nimue.”
An owl hooted in the distance. Once. Twice. A third time. Each sound moving closer and closer to the clearing. “She answers,” Maere murmured. “Thrice. Someone will die.” ‘T’will be me.
No fight left in you?
Maere’s head lolled to the side.
You can defeat him.
“Nay. ‘Tis too late.” She forced her gaze to her uncle and watched his motions as if in a dream. “Even now, he rips off his garments.”
You are stronger than this. The power is within you, girl. Reach for it.
Maere swiped at her ear. “Leave me be. I’ll die as my betrothed is even now dying. At least then we will be together.”
You would see Eugis win?
Winning. Losing. In the end, it matters naught.
From somewhere in the dark, a sharp slap stung Maere’s cheek. She opened her eyes. Eugis’s dark form was almost on her, readying to rut like a wild animal and take everything.
Another slap and her head snapped to the other side. But her eyes were open this time and it wasn’t Eugis who had hit her.
“Who taunts me so?” Maere cried out. “Who has struck me?”
Here girl. Look here.
Maere followed the voice. An owl sat on the branch of a tree. It’s eyes boring into her.
You will survive this. Maere heard the owl’s words in her own mind.
And you will know the full extent of your power. There are those who would help you.
Beyond Eugis and his men, right outside the edge of the gathering…Maere glimpsed a tall form. Jorvik! How could it be?
The raven returns. The owl spoke again in Maere’s thoughts.
In the blink of an eye, the raven swooped in and transformed into Morrigu.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away.” Eugis smiled. “I knew you’d come back to watch the deed.” He poised himself for entry. One quick shove and all the power he’d ever dreamed of would be his. His! Then Morrigu would worship him.
“I think not,” she sniffed, reading his thoughts. “That is not the way it works. When you seek to become as one with the gods and goddesses, there is a price to pay. ‘Tis the way it’s always been, and always will be. You above all others should know that.”
Eugis leaned back, his mind racing. Had she not encouraged him to seek out his niece? To make a bid for her power? “Let me finish here and then I’ll worship you as you deserved to be worshipped.” He forced what he hoped was a calm expression. “I will love your body with the full of my passion.”
Morrigu smiled her thin sharp smile. Eugis had seen that look before. There was little time before she would make good on her threat. He must have Maere’s power now…
“No!” Dylan’s voice pierced the night sky. The dead oak to which he had been tied sprang to life in an instant, expanding and snapping Dylan’s bindings. “No!” he shouted again. The oak tipped forward, spreading its branches around the altar, blocking Eugis’s men. They fought against the tree, but it held them fast out of the way. Except for one who would not be stopped—the Viking.
Jorvik parted the way with his heavy sword, the glow of torchlight reflecting on the tip of the metal. He entered the circle and the oak closed behind him once more. He bounded forward, toward the altar, ignoring Dylan’s shouts. Ignoring the goddess, who had turned her seductive smile toward him. He struggled to see past the few of Eugis’ followers who were still gathered near the altar. By Odin! Would he get to her in time?
The great owl hooted and swooped toward Maere.
Morrigu shrieked in anger as the owl perched on the altar and dropped a feather on Maere’s head.
Chapter 38
In that moment, clarity returned to Maere as if a heavy veil had been lifted from her mind. The spirits of all those women who had come before her, those who had been born under the triple sign of the goddess, surrounded her. Drawing strength from the ancestors, she was born anew.
“No,” Maere hissed. The fire within her sparked and grew, fueled by these spirits, fueled by her anger and pain. She kicked at her uncle and the man tumbled off the end of the altar. Maere sat up, swung her legs over the side, and slid to the ground. She took a step forward, the bright light of her strength filling her.
She turned her head slightly to nod at Dylan, Jorvik, and Seelie. Jorvik took a step back and bowed his head. She looked down and realized she was glowing, lit from within by her power.
Dylan pushed past Jorvik, his eyes taking in her torn garments. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around Maere’s shoulders. “Let us leave this evil place, my love.”
Eugis scrambled to his feet and drew himself up straight. “She will not leave. I will yet have her and claim her power. She is mine.”
Maere trembled with anger. She was her own woman, in charge of her fate, not to be controlled by any man. She took a shuddering breath. The spark within her fanned, growing into fire, fully evolved. She felt more alive in this moment than since she was a small girl, since before her parents were murdered.
Murdered.
She drew her shoulders back and stabbed a finger at Eugis. He screamed and skidded across the ground, slamming into one of the stone pillars. He forced himself up and raised an answering hand toward her. A wave of magic touched her. It wasn’t strong, though. Not like hers. With a flick of her wrist, she raised him off the ground. Higher and higher he traveled, his eyes wide with terror. His fear mattered not. She’d see to it he could not harm her again. See to it he could harm no one else she loved.
“Maere!”
Her resolve faltered as Dylan stepped to her side. He touched her shoulder and her hand dipped slightly.
“You will not dissuade me from this. I will see him dead,” she whispered, her voice husky and strained.
“You cannot do this.”
She laughed. Who was he to tell her what she could or could not do? “You are the one who has sought revenge all these years. You searched me out as a token to be used in exacting vengeance. Now you would tell me to let him go?”
“I would tell you not to commit murder. It isn’t worth the damage your soul would suffer. You would become as he is.” Dylan nodded toward Eugis, still hanging above the ground, trapped by Maere’s magic.
“He tells the truth.” Jorvik was now standing on the other side of Maere. He nodded at Dylan. “Remember what you did for my father and Sassa. You carry the gift of life within you. Not death.”
Seelie came forward. “If not for you, I would be dead. You healed me, Maere. You saved me.”
Their words reached deep down inside Maere. She looked first at Jorvik, then to Seelie, and, lastly, to Dylan. Her eyes met his—those dark piercing orbs glowed with the reflection of the very
moon herself. She understood why the others were trying to convince her not to kill Eugis, but not Dylan.
“Look at me. Look at what he has done to me.” She swept her free hand over her body. “My clothes, torn away. My body, laid bare for all to see.” She shook her head. “He tried to take what I would freely give to the man I love. And you would reward him for this?”
“Of course I would not!”
“Your power is for healing,” Jorvik said, his deep voice soft and soothing.
Dylan nodded at Jorvik and added, “Not for killing. Go inside yourself. You know this.”
Maere faltered as Dylan’s calming voice washed over her. She lowered her arm, thereby lowering Eugis to the ground, his body limp and exhausted from struggling against her magic.
Morrigu walked forward and screeched in her raven’s voice, “Finish him!”
The four of them stepped back. Dylan slipped his arm protectively around the shoulders of his betrothed.
“Would you let this one’s sweet words turn your mind?” Morrigu glanced at Dylan. “He knows nothing. Finish Eugis and realize your true power.”
Jorvik stepped between Morrigu and Maere, his hand on the dagger tucked in his leather belt. Maere touched his arm. “‘Tis all right.” She turned to Morrigu. “Nay, Goddess. No matter how much I might wish him dead, these who are dear to me speak the truth. I cannot kill.”
Morrigu tilted her head and eyed the young woman. “From the instant of your birth until now, you have not cared for the taste of blood, have you?”
“Why are you here, Morrigu?” Dylan demanded. “Did you come to celebrate Eugis’s rise into stolen power? To force our submission to you and him?”
The owl, circling overhead, hooted and Morrigu turned at its sound. “I am merely here as an observer.”
Seelie snorted and Jorvik looked over at her. He nodded, his lips curved up in a slight smile.
The owl hooted again and Morrigu waved her hand at it. Her body shivered as the transformation to raven began. The owl swooped in and landed on the hard-packed earth. It stared pointedly at Morrigu.
Morrigu sighed. “Very well! I’ll tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Maere shoved past Dylan and Jorvik and faced the goddess.
“The truth is, your power cannot be taken. This was an imagining by Eugis, and others like him. The hopeful dream of a small man.”
Maere’s eyes narrowed in understanding. “You allowed all of this to happen so I could claim my powers for myself. It was all needless. All this suffering. All for your selfish entertainment? You have toyed with our lives.”
“I made you, girl. I was the goddess in the stream who blessed your birth.” Morrigu shook her head. “You speak as if I have a care as to what happens to you. To any of you.”
“You may be a goddess,” Seelie spat. “But you are also a demon.”
“Do not forget to whom you are speaking.” She spread her arms and lifted from the ground.
Jorvik stepped in front of Seelie to protect her. “Do not meddle in our lives again, or I will call on Odin himself to turn you into a pile of feathers.”
Morrigu’s eyes narrowed. “You are a fool, Viking,” she hissed. “I could have taken you to the heights of pleasure. And you prefer this pale creature?” She nodded at Seelie.
“I prefer a good woman to a conniving goddess; a creature who plays games at the expense of mortals and only believes in hate.”
“Hate. Love. What you fail to understand is they are the same to me.”
The owl hooted once more before taking flight.
Morrigu huffed. “Besides you have always had others watching over you.” She turned to acknowledge the owl who hooted once more before flying away.
Dylan watched the owl take its leave, an awareness flickering through his mind. “You will leave us to live our lives from here forward Morrigu,” Dylan said. “Or I am certain you will have to answer to that wise old bird.”
“That owl is more trouble than she’s worth. Besides I have no more need of any of you.” She looked at Maere. “You have realized your true powers, which was the point all along. Your trial by fire is complete and the circle is closed.”
The firelight glinted off Morrigu’s feathers. With a rush of air, she shot into the night sky. Within the span of a heartbeat, she swept back down, straight at Eugis, her beak poised at his heart.
With a scream, Eugis raised his arms to protect himself. But it was too late. The goddess was too fast and too strong for him. Her beak pierced his heart. He cried out once more, then went silent.
Morrigu rose again into the night, Eugis dangling from her mouth like a broken poppet. With a loud and raucous caw, she released him, his lifeless body plummeting to the earth. It landed in the ceremonial bonfire, sending a shower of embers toward the sky, his body engulfed by the flames.
Maere watched in silence, drawing Dylan’s cloak tightly around her. This time, she would not look away from the fire.
Chapter 39
One by one, Eugis’s men walked to the fire and tossed in the torches, oak branches, and leaves they’d worn for the ceremony. The man who had brought Maere to the altar opened his mouth, then shut it tight and turned away, moving into the dark forest. The others followed.
The flames continued to crackle and spew sparks into the air. There was nothing left of Eugis now except charred bone and the memories within those he had harmed.
Maere began to shake uncontrollably, her teeth chattering. Her strength waned and she collapsed to her knees.
Dylan squatted and touched her arm, searching her face. She was so pale. “You need to rest,” he said softly. “I’m worried for you.”
“I am worried for me too.” She gave him a faint smile. “I don’t understand why all this has happened.”
“Nor do I. I don’t know if understanding is possible. Not when it comes to the gods and goddesses.” He helped her stand. “Come. For now, I would see you warm and safe this night.”
Maere clasped his forearm and he pulled her to her feet. There was such strength in this man. Had it always been there? She searched his face and, for a brief moment, beheld Dylan as a boy, his big noisy feet traipsing through the forest. She held on to that memory, that day so long ago when he had pledged to watch over her and keep her safe, as she allowed herself to be led out of the clearing and to a nearby tent for the night. “Stay with me,” she said.
“Always,” he replied.
Jorvik watched Dylan and Maere leave the fire. He started to follow them back to camp when a movement caught his eye. He turned. It was the young woman, Seelie. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him, her blue eyes clear even in the darkness.
“Thank you for helping Maere. For helping all of us,” she said. She picked up a blanket lying near the bonfire and wrapped it around her. “I am chilled.” She looked up at the moon.
The Northman took a step sideways and stood up against her. Seelie moved away. “Wait,” he said. “You needn’t be afraid. I stand here only for you, to share my warmth.”
A smile played at Seelie’s lips. “Did you mean what you said earlier to Morrigu?”
“Aye. I’ve seen enough of magic in my life. I need no goddess or elf or magician to warm my heart or body,” he said softly.
She nodded. Maere had told her he was a good man, one who could be trusted. And there was something about this giant warrior with hair the color of spun gold. Something that called to her heart. Could it be possible? They barely knew one another. But he had helped save them.
He touched her hand. “I would have a woman I can trust.” Jorvik turned to her and searched her eyes. “I understand. We have only just met. But you risked your life to help your friend. You are a brave woman.”
Although she blushed at his words, she placed her hand over his. “Will you tell me something about yourself?”
“I am a stubborn woman, but I will always protect those I love.”
He laughed. It was so full of warmth, Seelie fell in love with him in that very moment.
“We are well matched it would seem,” he said.
“Do you think you could love a woman who was raised with different beliefs from yours?”
“I know I could love a feisty, fair-haired elf who would do anything to help her dearest friend.”
Seelie grinned and, standing on her tip toes, she kissed his cheek.
Jorvik smiled and pulled her into the warmth of his arms. Seelie knew she was home.
Chapter 40
The journey to Kate’s cottage was quiet and peaceful along the forest path, save for the sounds of the birds and the wind rustling the leaves high above. Samhain was drawing near and a nip of autumn touched the air.
After that night, Maere had wanted only to be alone, wouldn’t see anyone, even Dylan. Gone was her anger, burned away in the bonfire along with Eugis’s body. She was exhausted in so many ways. The pain of losing her parents and being taken away from her home had made her forget who she was. Maere had needed to rest. And to remember. She needed to reclaim herself.
But she stirred when Seelie and Jorvik were readying to leave for the Viking camp, and it was time to say goodbye. She wrapped her arms around Maere, and the two young women held tight to each other.
“I shall miss you terribly, my dearest friend,” Maere whispered.
“We will see each other again. And we will celebrate our happiness and our children will laugh and play together.”
Seelie’s words were with Maere still and, combined with Dylan’s gentle care, were helping her to heal all those painful memories. She could have cast away the hurt with her magic but, as Da had told her all those years ago, “Some wounds aren’t so easily healed.”
“Maere?” Dylan’s voice startled her out of her reverie. He smiled when he caught her eye. “See? Up ahead.” She followed the direction his hand indicated. There, nestled among the pines, was a small, weathered, wood and sod cottage. Dylan drew his horse closer to hers. “Kate will be pleased with our visit.”