by Hazel Hunter
“Do you ken what they mean?” Domnall asked.
“I’ve seen them before, but no.” She reached out to touch the marks, and at the last minute snatched back her fingers. That made his cloak slip from her shoulders and drop to the ground.
“Be still, lass,” he said when she bent to retrieve it.
Jenna felt his hand on her back, and then her eyes closed as pleasure spread from the stroke of his fingers along her spine. “What are you doing?”
“You’ve skinwork here from your neck to your waist.” He traced the pattern for another few seconds before he picked up the cloak and wrapped her up again. “By the Gods. ’Tis the same.”
“As the tree?” she asked as she turned around, but the big man shook his head.
He hesitated before he reached down and pulled up the bottom of his tunic, revealing his hard-muscled abdomen. A long tattoo of the glyphs in black ink ran from his collarbone to his waist.
“’Tis the same as my own.”
#
Finding a naked, unconscious female in the very spot where he had awoken twelve centuries past gave Domnall mag Raith much to think on. Seeing she had been inked with the same glyphs as he bore on his chest added to the mystery. That Jenna Cameron could no more remember what had happened to her than he had upon his awakening suggested she’d also escaped the underworld. Yet she offered no more answers than he had when Galan Aedth had brought Domnall and his men out of darkness.
’Tis naught more to be done.
Only Galan knew of the underworld and its ways. Domnall had to take the lass back to the settlement. Behind his back he signaled to the four other defenders watching them from their positions around the ash grove, and faint shuffling sounds answered him as his men retreated.
To Jenna he said, “I must take you to our headman, Galan Aedth. He’s a powerful druid, and may aid you in remembering.”
“Okay.” She glanced down at her bare feet. “Did you see my shoes?”
She’d come to the enchanted forest as naked as the Mag Raith had, and he doubted she could walk in his boots. Domnall didn’t want her pretty feet torn by the rough trek they’d have to make, so he scooped her up into his arms.
Jenna made a surprised sound, and curled her hands around his neck. “You don’t have to carry me.”
“Aye, but I think I must, lass.” He’d be hard-pressed to put her down again, too.
As he carried her out of the grove Domnall thought of his cottage, hidden deep in the woods, and the wide, comfortable new bed he’d made himself last spring. The tribe’s goose tender had saved him enough feathers to line the straw ticking. He imagined her in it, wrapped in one of his blankets, waiting for him. Her slight weight and soft skin pleased him as much as the scent of her, like a rose blooming under the stars. It had been too long since he’d taken a lover, but the sweet, gentle druidesses who offered him and his men relief in truth preferred their own kind.
What would Jenna offer him?
• • • • •
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Glossary
Here are some brief definitions to help you navigate the medieval world of the Immortal Highlanders.
acolyte - novice druid in training
Am Monadh Ruadh - the original Scots Gaelic name for the Cairngorm mountains, which translates to English as “the red hills”
anneal - heat and then allow forged material to slowly cool to remove internal stresses and strengthen it
apoplexy, apoplectic - medieval terms for “stroke” and “suffering from a stroke”
arse - British slang for “ass”
aye - yes
bairn - child
baggie – Scottish slang for “big-bellied”
banger – Scottish slang for “penis”
barmy – British slang for “crazy”
bastart - bastard
battlements - protective areas on castle outer walls that have regularly-spaced openings used to return fire
bausy – Scottish slang for something large, fat and coarse
baws - balls, testicles
beastly - British slang for something horrible or arduous
Beinn Nibheis – old Scots Gaelic for Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland
besom – Scottish slang for a promiscuous woman
besotted - British slang for strongly infatuated
bhean – Scots gaelic for “wife”
black affronted – very embarrassed, extremely humiliated
blaeberry - European fruit that resembles the American blueberry
bleeding - British obscenity, roughly equivalent to “damned” but much more offensive in the UK
blethering – Scottish slang for talking a lot without making much sense
bloke - British slang for a male
blethering - chatting
bleezin’ -drunk
blind - cover device
blood kin - genetic relatives
bloody - British obscenity, see bleeding
boabie – Scottish slang for “penis”
boak, boaking - Scottish slang for vomit, vomiting
bone-conjurer – a druid who uses the bones of the dead to communicate with their spirits
boon - gift or favor
boyo - British slang for a boy or man
Bràithrean an fhithich - Brethren of the raven
braw - Scottish slang for “outstanding”
brieve - a writ
brilliant - British slang for excellent or marvelous
broch – an ancient round hollow-walled structure found only in Scotland
buckler - shield
bugger - British slang for a contemptible person
cabbage - British slang for a mindless person
caber tosser – an athlete in a traditional Scottish field event who throws a large wooden pole called a caber
cac - Scots gaelic for “shit”
caibeal - Scots Gaelic for “chapel”
cairn - a pile or stack of stones
Caledonia - ancient Scotland
cannae - can't
caraidean - Scots Gaelic for “friends”
centuria – (plural centuriae) a Roman legion detachment of eighty men
chap - British slang for a male
cheeky - British slang for slightly disrespectful
cheesed off - British slang for angry or aggravated
cherie - French for feminine version of “my dear”
Cheshire - a type of tangy, semi-hard British cheese
Chieftain - the head of a specific Pritani tribe
chuffie – Scottish slang for fat-faced, portly
chundering - British slang for throwing up
clachan - Scottish word for small hamlet or village
clodhoppers - British slang for work boots
clout - strike
cock-up - British slang for a huge mistake
cocked up - British slang for something done very badly
coddle - pamper
codswallop - British slang for “nonsense”
comely - attractive
conclave - druid ruling body
conclavist - member of the druid ruling body
confinement (relating to pregnancy) – childbirth
cosh - British slang for “hit”
couldnae - couldn't
cow - derogatory term for woman
croft - small rented farm
crofter - a person who farms a croft
cross - British slang for “angry”
crossed - British slang for “opposed”
cudgel - wooden club
daft - crazy; Scottish slang for “unstable”
death oan a prin stick – “death on a prin stick”; Scottish slang for someone who looks deathly sick
demi - French term for a half-size bottle of champagne; holds 375 ml
détente - easing or dispelling hostilities between two conflicting parties
dinnae - don’t
disincarnate - commit suicide
does her nut - British slang for having a tantrum
doesnae - doesn’t
dru-wid - Proto Celtic word; an early form of “druid”
eagalsloc - synonym for “oubliette”; coined from Scots Gaelic for “fear” and “pit”; an inescapable hole or cell where prisoners are left to die
eala - Scots Gaelic for “swan”
ducat - a gold European trade coin
ell - ancient unit of length measurement, equal to approximately 18 inches
epicure - a person who takes particular interest and/or pleasure in gourmet dining and drinking
fack - fuck
facking - fucking
famhair - Scots Gaelic for giant (plural, famhairean)
fathom - understand
feart - Scottish or Irish for afraid
Finfolk – Scottish mythological equivalent of mermen and mermaids
firesteel - a piece of metal used with flint to create sparks
for fire-making
flat – apartment
fortlet - a little fort
fortnight - British slang for a two-week period of time
Francia - France
Francian - French
funeral pyre – the pile of wood on which a corpse is burned
Gaul - ancient region that included France, Belgium, southern Netherlands, southwestern Germany, and northern Italy
Germania - Germany
girthie – Scottish slang for fat or heavy
going to spare - British slang for getting out of control with anger, rage, or frustration
goosed - Scottish slang for “smashed”
gormless - British slang for someone with an acute lack of common sense
gowk – Scottish slang for “simpleton”
granary - a storehouse for threshed grain
greyling - species of freshwater fish in the salmon family
hasnae - hasn’t
hauchan – Scottish slang for a lump of mucus one coughs up
Hispania - Roman name for the Iberian peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain)
hobble – to tie or strap to keep something from straying; usually a horse
hoor - Scottish slang for whore
huddy – stupid
incarnation - one of the many lifetimes of a druid
isnae - isn’t
jobby - Scottish slang for “shit”
joint salve – topical rub for sore or stiff joints
jolly good - British slang for “excellent”
keeker - black eye
ken - know
kip - British slang for “nap”
kirtle - a medieval gown
knackered - British slang for “exhausted”
knocked-about - British slang for “abused”
lad - boy
laird - lord
land of the white bear - the Arctic
larder - pantry
lardy cake – a rich dessert cake or bread made with lard, spices, currants or raisins
lass - girl
league - distance measure of approximately three miles
leannan - Scots Gaelic for “beloved”
lochan - a small lakelot - British slang for a group, usually made up of people
lorry - UK slang for truck
ma belle - French for “my beauty” or “my beautiful one”
maidenhood – virginity
magic folk - druids
make a hash of it - British slang, to do something badly
mandrel - a shaped cylinder around which forged metal can be shaped
manky - British slang for “disgusting”
mate (nickname) - British slang for “friend”
máthair – Scots Gaelic for “mother”
mayhap - maybe
mead - an alcoholic beverage brewed from honey, yeast and water
mettle - a person’s ability to cope with difficulties
mind-move - telekinesis
minging - stinky
mojo - American slang for “magic”
mòran taing - Scots Gaelic for “many thanks”
morion - a brown or black variety of quartz
mustnae - must not
narky - British slang for irritable or sarcastic
naught - nothing
night rail – a loose robe worn as a nightgown
no’ - not
nod off - British slang for going to sleep
NOSAS - North of Scotland Archaeology Society
nutjob - American slang for a crazy or foolish person
nutter - British slang for a mentally-disturbed person
on about - British slang for “talking about”
on the mooch - Scottish slang for spying on someone á la a Peeping Tom
oubliette - a dungeon with an opening only at the top
ovate - Celtic priest or natural philosopher
pike - pole
plonker - British slang for “idiot”
podgy – chubby
portcullis - a strong, heavy gating used to block doorways in a castle
prattling - to talk for a long time on inconsequential matters
Pritani - Britons (one of the people of southern Britain before or during Roman times)
quim - medieval slang for the female genitals
ramparts - a defensive wall of a castle that has a walkway
reeks like an alky’s carpet - very smelly
revenant - a person revived from death, a zombie
ruddy - a British intensifier and euphemism for bloody
scarper - British slang for “run away”
schiltron - a medieval battle formation used to form a living barrier or wall of troops
scullery - a small back room off the kitchen where the dishes or laundry are washed
scunner - Scottish slang for an object or person that causes dislike and/or nausea
sett – the burrow that a badger digs
shag - British slang for sexual intercourse
shambles - British slang for an extensive or serious mess
shambolic - British slang for “chaotic”
sheshey – Scots Gaelic for “husband”
shite - British slang for “shit”
shouldnae - shouldn't
side ladders - the slatted upper sides on the back of a medieval cart or wagon
skelf – Scottish slang for wood-splinter thin
skellum – Scottish slang for rogue or scoundrel
skelp - Scottish slang for slap, hit or beat
slee - sly, cunning
slouster - Scottish slang for kissing in a slobbery way
Sluath – mythic air-riding demonic immortals who steal the souls of vulnerable or dying mortals
snaiking – Scottish slang for “sneaking”
sod (verb) - British slang for “screw”
sod all - British slang for “nothing”
solar - rooms in a medieval castle that served as the family's private living and sleeping quarters
solicitor - British term for lawyer
soul-sharing – druid term for empathy
speak-seer - a druid who can communicate with the dead and channel their voices
spew - vomit
splitting maul - a type of hammer-ax combination tool
spredith - Scottish slang for cattle or livestock
staunch weed - yarrow
steaming - British slang for angry or aggravated
stone (weight) - British weight measurement equal to 14 lbs.
stone lifter – someone who dead-lifts heavy ancient stones kept in various places in Scotland
swaddled – tightly-wrapped in linen to prevent movement, used on infants
tanist – the rank name for a Scottish laird’s second in comma
nd
Tha mi a ‘gealltainn - Scots Gaelic for “I promise”
’tis - it is
’tisnt - it isn’t
tor - large, freestanding rock outcrop
tree-knower - the Skaraven nickname for the druids of their time
thick with - closely involved, relating to “thick as thieves”
topped - British slang for suicide
transom - a weight-bearing support crossbar
trencher - wooden platter for food
trews - trousers
triquetra - a triangular design made of three interlaced arcs or ovals
tuyere - a pipe through which air is blown into a furnace
’twas - it was
’twere - it was
’twill - it will
’twould - it would
uisge beatha - old Scots Gaelic for “whiskey”
unbodying – removing a famhair’s spirit from his physical form
undercroft - a room in a lower level of a castle used for storage
vole - small rodent related to the mouse
wallapers – Scottish slang for “idiots”
wancheery - Scottish slang for “miserable”
wanker - British slang for a useless person
wasnae - wasn’t
watchlight - a term for a grease-soaked rush stalk, used as a candle in medieval times
wazzock - British slang for “idiot”
wee - small
wench - girl or young woman
went off - British slang for shouting angrily
whidder – Scottish slang for forcing someone to do something
willnae - will not
wouldnae - would not
wud - Scottish slang for crazy
Yank - UK slang for “American”
your head’s mince – Scottish slang for “you’re deeply confused”
Pronunciation Guide
A selection of the more challenging words in the Immortal Highlander, Clan Skaraven series.
Ailpin - ALE-pin
Alec McAra - AL-eck mac-CAR-ah
Althea Jarden - al-THEE-ah JAR-den
Am Monadh Ruadh - im monih ROOig
Ana Breem - AH-nuh BREEM
Aon - OOH-wen
apoplexy - APP-ah-plecks-ee
Ara Alba - AIR-ah AL-bah
Aran - AIR-ehn
Aviemore - AH-vee-more