by Mary Morgan
Angus held his shield in front of him. “Your master can try, but ye will fail.”
Lachlan stomped the ground, causing the land to rumble. “We have done this dance of war before, MacKay.” He waved his hands outward. “Ye can make this easy. Put down your weapons and your death will come swiftly. If ye choose to continue to defy me, I will personally hand ye over to my Lord.”
Meggie backed away and almost screamed when an arm circled around her waist. “’Tis me, leannan,” Adam whispered against her ear.
On a choked sob, she dropped the staff and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Praise the Goddess.” Leaning back, she could see his face was pale. Her heart froze. “Jamie?”
“Safe. With Ronan and the others.”
She started to question him, when he shook his head. “Later. Ye ken what must be done.”
Shaking with relief mixed with fear, she nodded. “Dinnae leave me, Adam.”
“Never.” Taking her hand, he led her back to the book.
The ground shook violently, and Meggie stumbled, but Adam steadied her.
Lachlan’s chilling laughter filled the air. “Come to see your beloved die?” he mocked, his words for Adam. “Remember what I said about your son, Dragon Knight. His head is mine.”
Meggie gasped. “You monster!”
“Ye have yet to ken the real one.” Opening his arms wide, he started to chant. His eyes blazed red, and his fingers lengthened into misshapen claws.
“Now!” roared Angus.
“Hold on Meggie,” ordered Adam and grasped her hand with the ring within his. Holding their joined hands high, he quickly looked at her. “Whatever happens, wait until the dragons appear. Do not let go!”
She glanced at her brothers, each holding up their relic: Angus’s shield, Duncan’s sword, Stephen’s medallion, and Alastair’s axe.
Angus’s voice bellowed. “From the land of the Ancients. From the stars of the Fae. We, the Dragon Knights from the Order, keepers of the fire, storm, water, and land dragons, open the gate and call forth the beasts!”
The Earth trembled with a power the world had never seen before. Her brothers’ eyes mirrored the energy. It gathered, grew, and finally with a deafening roar, four dragons burst forth in a blinding light from their relics, scorching a trail in the inky blackness. Their tails twisted and snapped. She could hear the flapping of wings and gnashing of teeth. Fire burst free from all of them.
Meggie shielded her eyes, but she did not fear these beasts. They were each a part of her brothers, and the energy swirled around them.
Filling her body with her own power, she blocked out all others, except one. Adam.
Meggie waved her hand outward, lifting the book into the air. The pages rapidly opened for her. The light of the words shimmered, and she ran a finger down the gilded page, emblazing their meaning within her mind.
Time no longer existed. The veil between all realms opened for only her. Time and space but one entity. And Meggie knew the moment had come. Using her magic, she called forth the staff, and it appeared in her hand.
Her voice became one with the ancients, from those who held the power of the Book of Awakening. Mother to daughter. Sister to sister. Each generation now as one voice—one being filling her soul. “I call upon my ancestors—from the land of yesteryear to the realm of forever. Hear and join with me. As one, we will vanquish this evil. Restore the shredded loom of time. Heal the land from past, present, and future.” Her voice continued to rise as she moved to the center, still clutching Adam’s hand.
A white and gray mist extended from hers and Adam’s combined hands until the dragon emerged. The dragon’s eyes flashed with those of a thousand suns, and she swirled around them. She stole a glance at Adam but returned her gaze to the druid, feeling her power grow.
“Hear me Lachlan!” Her voice booming over the howling wind.
An inhuman cry of rage came forth from the druid. “You think to destroy me? You should fear me!” He thrust his hand outward.
Rain slashed at Meggie’s face, clawing and burning, but she gave no care. Adam’s grip tightened, as she stared into the face of destruction. Lifting the staff high, a swirling mass opened forth above the druid.
“I bind ye, Lachlan, with these words that are as ancient as time itself. Ye will have no beginning, no ending. No past, present, or future. Time will not exist. Therefore, ye will cease to continue. No thoughts ye shall have, save those ye have killed. Those will be your companions in between the silent realms of no tomorrows.”
Lachlan shrieked. “Nae, nae, nae! Kill ye…all!” He batted at the air, gasping. “Come…come back. Stop!”
She lifted the staff higher. “When the sun, stars, and moon fade away, only then will death claim ye!”
Meggie recoiled at the sight in front of her. Half human. Half monster. Each being torn to shreds in a void with no beginning and no ending. The swirling mass slowly devouring him. His screams along with the thunderous wind filled her ears.
As the dragons swirled around the void, she watched as Lachlan’s brother Cathal stepped through the fire. “Stay away,” the monster shrieked.
Cathal continued to move toward the screaming, twisted monster. “Blood of my blood, I release ye. Your name stricken from all accounts. Ye are no more. Your name forgotten.” He slammed his staff into the ground. With a loud snap, the void closed, sealing Lachlan’s fate. Yet, his heart remained.
Cathal lowered his staff. “So that ye may never return, I burn your heart to ashes to banish the evil.” Sparks of fire danced around and through the heart, charring the bloody mass until it blackened into ashes. The druid looked to Meggie. “It is done.”
Instantly, the wind and rain subsided to a gentle breeze. As each of the dragons descended back within each person through the relics, Adam released his hold on Meggie. Closing the book, she wiped a shaky hand across her brow, but felt something wet and sticky. Holding her hand up, she noticed it was blood.
Turning sharply, she saw Adam lying on the ground, one hand clutching his side. “Nae!” she screamed and bent down beside him. She moved his hand aside and gasped. His tunic was drenched in blood, the wound severe. “Someone help me!”
Alex and Patrick fled to her side. “How did this happen?” demanded Alex.
“Lach…Lachlan. Needed to…fr…free Jamie.” Adam gritted out between gasps.
“Why didn’t ye say anything?” she blurted out.
“Nae…time,” he mumbled.
Meggie attempted to free some of the material, but Adam groaned in protest.
“I need some water, Stephen,” she cried out. “Hush, Adam.” She looked at his brothers. “Nae more questions.”
Her brother was instantly at her side. Dropping down next to her, he brought forth some water.
Touching Adam’s cheek, she pleaded, “I need to see the damage.” She glanced to the side. “Angus, can ye make the ring of fire brighter?”
“Most definitely.”
“’Tis naught ye can do,” groaned Adam.
“Like hell I can!” she snapped. “Didn’t I tell ye I was a healer?” She nodded to Stephen as he let the water slip from his fingers.
Adam hissed and rolled his head to the side.
“Please,” she pleaded.
Adam grasped her hand. “I wi…will be with ye always.”
“Everyone back away,” she ordered. She placed her trembling hands over the gash, and Meggie concentrated. The light grew within her, and then suddenly ebbed. Meggie swayed weak from the battle. Once again, she placed her hands over the wound. Lights flickered before her eyes, but she was unable to bring forth the healing power.
Slamming her fist onto the ground in frustration, she gripped his hand. Panic seized her, and she tried to think of something—anything that could save him. There wasn’t a hospital within fifty miles. They needed time.
She looked to her brothers. “Can a Fenian warrior heal?”
“Nae,” replied Angus solemnly.
&
nbsp; “Will they take him to the nearest hospital?”
Angus pointed to the Fenian warriors.
The warriors stepped forward. “Forgive me, Meggie,” said Conn in a hollow voice. We are unable. The Fae have sealed off our powers. ’Tis only a matter of time before someone is sent for us.” Holding his hands outward, she could see the crystal shackles around his wrists.
Angus shook his head. “There is naught they can do to help further.” He turned to the warriors. “I thank ye for what ye have done this night. Ye have saved both worlds. I pray the Fae will understand.”
“Not likely,” replied Conn.
Meggie slowly looked away. Cradling Adam’s head into her lap, she let the tears stream down her face, unable to fathom that he was dying before her eyes. Swallowing, she tried to smile through her tears. “Now, ye listen to me Adam MacFhearguis, ye willnae die and leave me again. Ye promised.” She brushed away the grime from his face and bent to place a kiss upon his lips.
“I am home, Meggie. I have found…ye.” With a sigh, Adam gave out his last breath.
“Nae, nae!” Her cry of sorrow shook the ground. Sobbing, Meggie rocked back and forth. She shook her head in disbelief. “Why?”
Sensing someone approaching, Meggie held up a fist. “Dinnae come any closer.” Her voice raw with grief. “This place is tainted, fouled with another death. I wish to be alone.”
“Meggie, I beg ye,” pleaded Angus.
“Leave me!”
As his footsteps receded, Meggie let her grief pour out of her soul. Her heart shattered there at the standing stones. Great wracking sobs broke free and she wailed. “All we wanted was to live our lives. Was the price of our love too much to ask?” she yelled into the night air. “’Tis cruel and unfair, Gods and Goddesses. And this man, this knight, did naught to deserve this ending. He was honorable, courageous, loyal, and my heart. My love.”
She kissed his forehead. “How am to go on, Adam? How can I face our son?”
Suddenly, the mists swirled around her, warm and sweet, and lights shimmered. Blinking, Meggie lifted her head. Standing before her stood the most stunning woman she had ever seen. Her gown of midnight blue was trimmed at the edges in silver with Celtic spirals. She held a staff with a crystal ball mounted on the top, and her eyes sparkled with the many colors of the rainbow.
Meggie wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Do I know ye, my lady?”
“Yes, my daughter.” Her voice resonated like the lyrics of a song.
“Are ye Fae?”
“I am the Guardian. The one who brought you from the past to this realm.”
“Adam and I were the keys, not the Great Dragon?”
“Correct, my daughter. Two shall unlock the doors to the realms. Two will hold the light. Two will become one.” The Guardian turned toward the Fenian warriors. “Your day of judgment has arrived Fae warriors.”
Conn’s lip thinned. “Adam and Meggie would have never defeated Lachlan and the Dark One without the other Dragon Knights.”
“You violated the sacred laws of your people—the Fae! You are the Time Keepers between the ages. The loom of fate has been tampered with, expanded, and bent to your needs.”
“No. We did what we thought best to preserve both worlds.”
She shook her head in sorrow. “We shall never know the true outcome.” Lifting her staff, she shined a light over them. “The royal council awaits.” With a burst of light, the warriors vanished.
Glancing down at Adam, Meggie shook her head in understanding. “Ye have come to take him back to his time.”
“You would send him back to his time, healed?”
Slowly, Meggie lifted her head. “Aye. If ye can heal him, I beg ye to wipe his memories, too. Let him find peace.”
“What if peace brings him to another woman’s arms?”
Her lip trembled. “He deserves happiness and peace no matter where he finds it. He has suffered enough. This is my gift to him.”
The Guardian knelt down in front of them. “Your gift is selfless, my daughter. You and Adam have already suffered greatly. Sacrifices you both have endured. This is a time of healing, not loss. I heard his prayer whispered on the wind and sent him to you. His death is only temporary.”
“I…I don’t understand?” she whispered.
The Guardian smiled and blew across Meggie’s face. The kiss was the scent of roses, filling her soul with love.
Extending her hand upward, a ball of crystal light appeared. “Let the light of love touch you, Dragon Knight, and heal all wounds.” She then placed it over his heart, and Meggie watched it vanish within him.
She rose in majestic beauty. “Peace and long life, Margaret Aine MacFhearguis, and to you, Dragon Knight.”
As the soft mists departed, the Guardian vanished from sight.
Chapter Thirty-One
“I have never known such peace, beauty, and love as when I approached the shining gates. Yet, my heart ached as I stood between the path of forever and the light of one that held the promise of her—Meggie.”
~Adam MacFhearguis as told to the Guardian.
I love ye, I love ye, I love ye. Adam kept hearing those words as he ran through the lush, green meadow. The faster he went, the more he could hear her words—luring him to a place he longed to be once again. Did he not tell Meggie he would be with her forever? Always? Why were they parted? Surely, she would never leave him.
His lungs filled with the sweet scent of flowers, and his pace quickened. He had never known such freedom, such strength. Joy infused his heart and soul.
Come back to me. I am waiting. Her words drifted by him on the breeze, growing stronger. Laughter filled him, but he kept on running. He needed to reach her. Hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her.
His body lifted, flew, and Adam closed his eyes.
“Meggie,” he whispered, reaching out with his hand.
Her grip was strong and firm. “Open your eyes, my love. I am waiting.”
Slowly, Adam opened his eyes to the woman who held his heart. “Meggie,” he uttered in a hoarse voice.
“Adam,” she sobbed, placing kisses over his face.
He reveled in her touch and started to close his eyes, when she smacked him. “What?” He smiled, and gazed into those lovely lavender eyes.
“Don’t ye dare close your eyes again.” She wiped away the tears from her face. “At least not for awhile.”
Adam reached up and pulled her head down. Placing a kiss upon her mouth, he drank in her sweetness. Slowly, he released her. “I feel like we have been parted for some time.”
“Perhaps for ye, but it was not that long.” Meggie sighed. “I tried to heal ye, but was too weak.”
Recalling his injury, his fingers slid down to his side, preparing for the worst. However, there was no pain. No open wound. Sitting up, he raked a hand through his hair in confusion. “What happened?”
“Ye died,” replied Meggie. “And then the Guardian came and healed ye.”
“Impossible.” He stood and looked around. The night sky shone with the brilliance of the stars, and the full moon shining down upon them.
“’Tis true,” stated Alex. He came over and shook Adam’s shoulder. “We were mourning your loss.”
Looking at everyone gathered, Adam reached for Meggie’s hand. “Dinnae blame yourself, leannan. I witnessed something I pray I never will again. Ye transformed before my eyes. It was beautiful to behold, but frightening.”
Meggie arched a brow and then laughed. “If only ye could have seen yourself, too.” She placed a kiss along his knuckles. “We both changed, Adam. We were the keys, not the Great Dragon. The ring ye gave me is a new relic, from which a new dragon has been born.”
His brow furrowed. “Truly?”
“Aye,” proclaimed all gathered.
“I believe ’tis time we all made our way back to the castle,” suggested Angus. “Let the land heal.”
“Where are Conn and the others?” asked Adam, as he st
rolled along with Meggie by his side.
Meggie bit her lip. “They’ve been taken back to the Fae. Under guard.”
“Then I pray the Fae will be lenient. For I deem we could not have done the battle without them. Furthermore, Conn helped me learn and control my powers. Something I would not have been able to do on my own.” Adam squeezed her hand in reassurance.
Everyone remained quiet as they all proceeded away from the stones. The air was cold, but Adam’s body hummed with a new sense of purpose. A quiet peace settled inside of him.
As they neared the castle, Meggie tugged on Adam’s hand. “What happened when ye went to the loch?” she asked in a quiet voice.
He feared telling her how Lachlan nearly killed their son, but he knew his Meggie could hear anything after what they had witnessed and done. “I got to the loch, and there stood the monster with his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. He sensed I was coming. His plan was for Jamie to lure the Great Dragon from the water. He believed our son knew the words.” Adam heard her gasp.
“I will tell ye this. Jamie does not ken any words. I have seen him simply stand by the water’s edge and wave his hand.”
Adam rubbed a hand over his face. “Now I understand. Jamie was confused. He thought the druid wanted him to use special words, and the lad did not ken them.”
“That filthy, rotten…” Meggie stopped to wipe away the tears. “If I had known sooner—”
Bringing her into his arms, he rubbed a comforting hand down her back. “’Tis over. Let us not speak of this evil man again.”
She broke free from his embrace. “Tell me the rest and then I’ll bury it.”
“I asked the druid to take my life in exchange for our son. He accepted. I asked for a chance to say good-bye and told Jamie to remember who he was and where he came from. So, I went to the water in an effort to deceive Lachlan that I could call forth the dragon.” He cupped her cheek. “Our son, Meggie, is a great warrior. He used his power of fire to free himself and then he fled to the fortress we built. Lachlan was building his own power and mine was no match. In the end, his blade sliced into me.”