“Just know that I love you,” he whispered, holding her tighter.
She shivered in his arms. “Why does that sound like goodbye, Alex?”
He did not have time to answer.
The door burst open and a dark mist flowed into the room, like a thick fog birthed by a stormy sea and cast ashore. From it, two figures emerged, each surrounded by a familiar unearthly glow, their eyes lit as if flames burned within.
They stood and studied Alex for a moment. He flinched inwardly at the sadness and disappointment in their expressions.
“Christ, Alexander. What the hell have you done?” Finn gestured toward Emma's room. “Where is she? In there?”
Alex nodded and released Althena. “Aye.”
“Does she live?”
He nodded again. “Aye.”
Finn strode to the doorway and paused on the threshold. Stephen's excited greeting drifted into the kitchen.
“You should have seen it, Finn,” he said. “'Twas a miracle. I've never seen the like before. I don't understand why you would hide such a thing, keep it away from the world as you do. Such magic should be shared, not guarded.”
Finn did not answer, but turned back to Alex, his eyes blazing.
“May God forgive you,” he said. “Do you know what this means?”
“He knows. I tried to stop him.” Keir held out his hand. “Give me the sword, Guardian.”
Alex gave a grim smile, unbuckled the sword, and handed it, hilt first, to Keir.
“I regret any disturbance to the Circle,” he said. “But I stand by my decision, and would do the same again.”
“Disturbance?” Finn let out a harsh laugh and it shocked Alex to see tears shining in the Irish knight's eyes. “'Tis no mere disturbance, but a vile betrayal. Such disregard for our most sacred law has not happened in nigh on a thousand years. You have spit in God's eye and mocked us all. The elders are furious - beyond placating. I swear, if you were to appear before them at this moment, they would ignore your rights and strike you dead where you stand. I'm sorely tempted to do that very thing myself.”
“What's going on?” Sword in hand, Stephen appeared in Emma's doorway. “Why are you so angry with him? He saved Emma's life, for God's sake.”
Keir spoke. “We must leave now, Alexander. You will come with us willingly or forced. Your choice.”
“There'll be no resistance from me,” said Alex, his voice calmer than his racing heart.
He felt Althena's hand slip into his. “You're not coming back, are you?” she asked, her voice tearful.
He sighed and raised her fingers to his lips. “Probably not, lass. Please forgive me. Stephen, you must take care of Emma and Althena. Swear it.”
Stephen stepped into the room, sword raised. “Wait. I don't understand. Where are they taking you?”
“Lower your blade, lad,” Alex said, seeing Keir tense at Stephen's threatening gesture. “None of this is unexpected. I knew what the results of my actions would be.”
“What do you mean? What results?” Stephen looked from Alex to Keir. “He used the stone to save Emma's life. What is so wrong about that?”
“Do you not remember what I told you, young knight?” said Keir. “Tis a question of balance. Balance in all things. To interfere with God's will is strictly forbidden. Indeed, that vow is the most sacred of all the vows we take. 'Tis the main reason we exist, to ensure that the balance of life in this world is not defiled through the misuse of the stone, that God's decisions are not usurped. The balance must be maintained.”
Stephen snorted. “You presume to know Emma's death was God's will? Did God tell you that Himself?”
Alex smiled and looked at the ground. The lad had bigger balls than the king's stallion.
Keir scowled. “Be careful, Stephen. You're dealing with a powerful order. Do not question our knowledge in this matter.”
“I question what you intend to do with Alex. Or is that a secret as well?”
“Nay, 'tis no secret. There will be a three-day tribunal, during which time Alexander may present his case to the Circle. If he's found to have acted with justifiable reason, his life will be spared. If not, and we find he went against God in giving Emma her life, his own life will be forfeit.”
“Surely you jest.” Stephen look at Keir aghast. “You would take a man's life for saving that of his child? Who's playing God now?”
Keir's expression softened. “Alexander knew the price to be paid for his actions. The law is quite clear.” He gestured toward the door. “We must leave. Do not try to follow us, Stephen. It would be a futile exercise. We'll bring word of Alexander's fate as soon as we can.”
“Well, that's very noble of you, my Lord Keir.” Stephen's lip curled in scorn. “Tell your fellow Guardians to grow hearts, for Christ's sake. The cold-blooded –”
“Easy, lad. The Guardians have every right to be angry. I bear them no ill will.” Alex gestured to Emma's bedroom. “I cannot say goodbye to her a second time. 'Tis enough for me to know she lives again. Take care of her, and speak to no one of this outside of these walls.” He turned his gaze to Althena. “Ach, my sweet lass. You melted a part of my heart that had been frozen for sixteen years. Please forgive me for hurting you. I would never –”
Tears fell as she placed her fingers over his lips. “I know, Alex. I know. 'Tis enough for me that I have your love.”
Finn's anger shocked Emma. The Irish knight she'd come to trust so well stood in her doorway and looked at her as if she were an aberration. His verbal assault on Alex made no sense either, until she overheard Keir's words and Stephen's angry responses. She hadn't realised, until that moment, exactly what Alex had done to drag her back across the mortal threshold. Stephen's mutterings of 'miracle' barely registered in her clouded mind.
She remembered standing in death's doorway, looking back to see Stephen's tears, an expression of disbelief on his face. All she'd wanted to do in her final moments was comfort her gentle knight, as he had comforted her. She'd felt helpless, even guilty, knowing she had to leave him behind.
Alex? She'd seen true fear in his eyes - an entity she couldn't recall ever seeing there before. It was a fear, she realised, born of bitter familiarity. Alex was well aware of what pain lay ahead for himself and Stephen.
Despite her faith in God, death had frightened Emma. Argante's last words haunted her even as her body weakened and her lungs struggled. What if he awaited her beyond that mysterious portal? What if he stood at the Devil's side, ready to commit his soul with hers to an eternal hell?
But her fears were unfounded, her faltering faith misguided.
For a few incredible moments, she'd teetered on the brink of two worlds, one hand resting in Alex's warm grip, the other clasped in cool, gentle fingers as her mother pulled her into eternity.
Mama.
It had been no dream, then.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself up onto shaky legs. “Keir wait, please. I beg of you. You cannot –”
She stopped as a brilliant shard of light pierced her eyes, so brief she wondered if she'd imagined it. Bewildered, she looked down at her bloodstained chemise, her mind all at once engulfed by a cascade of words, as if someone had opened a book, shaken the pages, and tipped all the contents into her head.
She pressed her fingers against her temples. “Stop, please. I can't...I don't understand.”
From the kitchen, she heard Stephen curse as the cottage door closed.
“Cùra,” she whimpered, screwing up her eyes against the turmoil in her head. “Wait. I must speak with you.”
She heard Althena's sobs and stumbled over to the doorway. “Stephen, please. You must stop them.”
He was at her side in an instant, folding her in his arms. “I'm sorry, little one. He knew. Alex knew what would happen. But they'll not kill him. They can't. I'm sure they'll see reason.”
She willed her mind to calm itself. “You're wrong. His life will be forfeit. We must go after him.
We must stop this.”
“How, pray tell?” Althena sobbed, her face pale and drawn. “Keir warned us not to follow them. We don't even know where they've taken him.”
Emma opened her mouth to speak but paused, surprised by the sudden silence in her head.
“I know where they're taking him,” she said, scowling at her bloodied clothes. “But I must change before we leave.”
She turned to go into her room, but Stephen caught her arm. “Wait, Emma. How can you know that?”
A prickle ran over her skin. “I... I don't know. I mean, I don't know how I know. But I'm certain of it.”
“Where are they taking him?” Althena's eyes were wide with hope. “Where, Emma?”
“The circle.” She frowned, still shocked to find herself entertaining knowledge that she had not previously known. “They're taking him to the circle.”
Stephen sighed. “Aye, love. But we don't know where the Circle is.”
“Nay, not that Circle,” she said. “Please trust me, Stephen. I'll return in a few moments.”
A mysterious but gentle warmth flooded her heart as she dressed, all but thawing out the chill of fear she'd felt at Alex's departure. Still, she knew fighting for Alex would not be easy. They had to defend his actions, present the Guardians with a worthy reason for her resurrection. Did she dare suggest that her life was worth contradicting God's will? And if they failed, how could she reconcile what Alex had sacrificed for her? They must not fail. They would not fail.
A memory touched her, the gentle voice of a woman dead these sixteen years, a voice she had heard that very morning.
That which you lost lies with my ring, Emma. 'Tis the proof he needs.
“What do you mean, Mama?” she asked. “I don't understand. What ring? Will it help our cause?”
There was no answer.
Emma blinked away hot tears and pulled on a pair of loose britches and a warm tunic, all the while thinking about her mother's words. She lifted her sword from its scabbard and ran her finger along the edges, satisfied with the sharpness as she re-sheathed it and buckled it around her hips. At the same time, a discomforting shadow settled itself around her.
Without hesitation, she unbuckled the sword and placed it on the bed.
“Very well,” she whispered, obeying the silent voice in her head. “If that's what you want. We go unarmed.”
Stephen was pacing outside her door. He wrapped her in his arms as she stepped into the kitchen and held her tight.
“In answer to your request, I trust you completely,” he said, kissing her forehead. “But tell me how you know of Alex's destination?”
Emma rested her head against his chest, taking comfort in the sound of his heartbeat. “In truth, my love, I cannot say precisely how I know. All at once I find myself aware of many things.”
“But can you stop the Guardians, Emma?” Althena asked, her face still pale. “Do you think you can help Alex?”
“I intend to try. We need to convince them that what he did was justified, that somehow my death was not meant to be, but I don't think it will be easy. The Guardians are very angry. More than that, they feel betrayed.”
“You sense all that, little faerie?” Stephen ran a thumb across her cheek.
“Aye.” She smiled up at him. “I do. 'Tis perplexing, but I feel as if I'm part of them somehow - as if we're linked.”
Stephen gave her a strange look. “Perhaps you are. Finn and Keir are already convinced there's something special about you, about your connection to Alex. To be truthful, I agree with them. There's more to this than we know. Perhaps you're even linked to what the Guardians are sworn to protect.”
A revelation hovered on the periphery of her mind, a truth she could not quite grasp. A prickle ran across the back of her neck.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I witnessed a miracle this morning. 'Tis beyond certain the stone has some kind of unearthly power. Why may we not assume that Alex was unknowingly enabled by that power when he visited your mother? Maybe it became a part of you when you were conceived.”
“A part of me?” Emma clutched at Stephen's shirt, for it felt as if the ground moved beneath her. “But I've not sensed anything like this before. Why now?”
Stephen lifted her chin, fixing her with an intense gaze. “Sweetheart, the blessed thing just brought you back from the dead. It connected with you on a level beyond any mortal comprehension. Who knows? Perhaps it –”
“Knew me.” Emma's knees buckled, her head swimming as the knowledge settled into her brain.
“Easy, love. You're still weak.” He swung her into his arms and settled her in a chair at the table. “We go nowhere until you eat and drink something.”
“I understand so little of this,” Althena said, with a sigh. “I know this stone is sacred, that Alex had charge of it, but I had no idea of its true worth. If you're indeed connected to it, what does that mean for Alex? And where is this circle you speak of? Is it far?”
Emma shook her head. “Not too far. And I don't know what any of this means exactly. If only...” Her mother's voice once again echoed through her mind. “That which you lost lies with my ring.”
Stephen placed a cup of ale and bread in front of her. “That which who lost, little one?”
“'Tis something I heard when I was...with Mama this morning. She said 'that which you lost lies with my ring'. 'Tis the proof he needs.' But I don't know what she meant. What ring? It doesn't make sense.”
Althena sat back, her expression thoughtful. “Alex told me he found a gold chain tucked into your blankets when he took you from the abbey. It had your mother's wedding ring on it. Could that be it?”
“Her wedding ring?” Emma tensed. “Cùra gave me a gold ring to wear the night Argante's men came to the house looking for you, Stephen. Remember? I pretended to be your wife, told them you were gravely ill to scare them away.”
“'Tis perhaps that same ring, then,” said Althena. “In the wee box on Alex's table?”
“Aye, that's the one.” Emma's stomach clenched with anticipation. “Maybe there's an inscription on it. Some kind of message.”
Stephen stood and held out his hand. “Let's find out.”
The three of them went into Alex's room and approached the small wooden table sitting beneath the window. Sun lanced through a small hole in the shutters, forming a circle of light that sat atop the small box.
A sign, thought Emma, then silently chided herself for her fanciful ideas. She looked first at Stephen then at Althena, who nodded. “Open it.”
The ring caught the sun's rays as Emma pushed the lid back. A fine delicate thing, it sat atop a piece of folded parchment. Emma picked it up and studied it in the patch of sunlight. It bore no marks, no inscription. Nothing.
She let out a sigh of disappointment.
“Perhaps it's the parchment,” Stephen suggested. “Maybe there's a message on that.”
Emma knew what the paper was, and shook her head. “'Tis merely a picture of Bart I drew when I was but four summers. I gave it to Cùra for his birthday that same year.”
Stephen picked up the paper and opened it. “Aye, looks exactly like him.” He smiled just as Emma gasped, her fingers closing tight around the ring.
“Sweet Mother of God. It can't be.”
“What?” Stephen leaned over her, following her gaze. “What is it?”
Emma could barely see for the tears filling her eyes. “Look.” She reached into the box and pulled out a small gold brooch. “'Tis the brooch you gave me. The one I lost. But how did it get...? Oh, dear God.” Dizzy, she leaned against him and his arm went around her.
“Emma?”
“This proves it.” She placed the brooch in her palm next to the ring. “Mama said 'that which you lost lies with the ring'. Cùra was truly with me on the roof at Thurston. The night I lost the brooch. It must have caught in his clothing or...or his cloak. Don't you see? He unknowingly brought it back here with him.”
She shook her head, frowning. “Nay, but I think I might know why. That was the morning Bart returned. Alex had gone outside to check on a noise coming from the barn. I was watching through the gap in the shutters, and knocked the box onto the floor. I picked everything up, including the brooch. As I recall, it was lying under the table. Perhaps it fell there when Alex returned during the night, but I just –”
“Assumed it had fallen from the box.” Emma interrupted, her heart racing.
“So, Alex never even saw it.” Stephen finished. “Mystery solved. But will this be enough to help him?”
“I don't see how. Finn and Keir already believe he was at Thurston. This will only serve to prove that they were right.” Emma's mind stumbled on an idea and her fist closed around the jewels. “But it helps me, and so might help him after all. We must go, Stephen.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The winter sun cast long shadows of the two riders as they circled the wide base of Black Combe. A raw breeze whistled down the slopes, combing the amber coloured bracken and ruffling the grey patches of heather. Emma pulled her cloak tighter, tucking her chin into the woollen folds of her hood.
“We should have delayed our journey until you were more rested, little one.” Stephen eyed her with concern. “You do not yet have your strength back.”
“Actually, I feel stronger all the time,” Emma assured him. “You needn't worry.”
“Very well. But if you feel chilled, you must ride with me.” Stephen edged his horse closer. “The breeze has a sharp bite.”
Emma smiled, her eyes watering with the cold. “'Tis tempting to ride with you, my love, cold or not. For now, I'm warm enough. I'll ride with you on the way back, when Alex will have need of my horse.”
Stephen offered her a grim smile in return. “You're that confident we'll succeed?”
The Cast Of A Stone Page 33