“Aye, laddie, ‘tis us.” Brigit eyed Fionn fondly. “It has always been us.”
There was no mistaking the great love that passed between them.
“Where are we?” Jackie inquired softly, not quite sure of the proper octave in which to address a god.
“You’re in the Celtic Otherworld,” Fionn said. “The way it actually looks rather than that demented place Eoghan took everyone.”
“A place that was only sustainable with help from Balor,” Brigit said. “A hell that does not belong on this plane.”
“So…I’m dead?” Jackie's eyes went to Darach then back to Brigit. “We both are?”
“Aye,” Brigit said. “As is Eoghan.”
“Just like my dream foretold. You died on my lap when I was laird,” Darach said. “I just didn’t realize I would be dead too.”
Jackie shook her head in amazement. “So the tumor got me in the end.” Her eyes met Darach’s. “And one way or another got you too.”
“Nay, ‘twas always evil that ye fought,” Fionn said. “And ‘twas evil that ended your lives.”
“Ye do have a flare for the dramatic on occasion.” Brigit slipped her hand into Fionn’s and offered him a soft smile.
“Me?” Fionn pulled her closer. “Were ye not behind the rings, oaks and the connections through time? And was it not all a wee bit dramatic?”
“Aye.” Brigit grinned and nuzzled even closer to him. “And for the most part, great fun with ye there to help every step of the way.”
Jackie and Darach glanced at each other. He was thinking the same thing. They better get answers soon before the gods got too wrapped up in one another.
“So should Jackie and I say our goodbyes?” Darach’s voice deepened with emotion. “I dinnae see Eoghan so I can only assume we all move on from here.”
“Say your goodbyes?” Brigit stared lovingly into Fionn’s eyes as she answered Darach. “Why would ye do that?”
Fionn fingered a strand of her hair, enchanted. “They do not understand, lassie, because we have yet to explain.”
“Ah…” Brigit whispered as if she just remembered. Her coy eyes turned their way. “Is it not foretold that he who loves she with the power to resurrect will follow her into the afterlife? That he will meet his end?”
“Aye,” Darach said. “And so here we are.”
“Yet ye forget something, laddie.” Her eyes flickered between them. “Three men loved Jackie. One brought her into the Viking tapestry where he was able to use that love to defeat not only the Genii Cucullati but Balor. Or should I say ban them from the MacLomains for all time.”
“Heidrek.” Jackie’s eyes widened. “Is he okay?”
“Aye,” Fionn said. “His love was strong and his power formidable. ‘Twas a lucky thing at the time that Eoghan was more obsessed with ye than saving his son, Keir Hamilton, or Heidrek might have faced a wee bit too much evil to succeed.”
Jackie wasn’t sure what to think. She was sad that Heidrek evidently loved her so much but happy he won.
“Then there were the two other men who loved ye,” Brigit continued. “Darach and Eoghan. And both have loved ye for a verra long time. Now both have followed ye into the true afterlife. Yet ‘tis foretold that ‘he who loves’ must pay the price of his soul’s death. Not ‘they who love’.” Brigit eyed Darach with a gentle smile. “Especially not he whose life ended in my healing waters.”
“So Eoghan met his final death...the death of his soul because he loved me?” Jackie said. “And because it was foretold that only one man would pay the price, Darach escaped the same death?”
“That is right.” Brigit’s eyes fell to Jackie’s ring. “And because of your ring. Because of love that remained so strong through time.”
“Thank God.” Jackie blinked back tears as she looked from the ring to Darach then back to Brigit and Fionn. “I mean thank you. Both of you. For everything.”
“’Tis all right to thank God as well,” Brigit said. “Did Cullen Stewart, one of God’s angels, not help everyone along the way?”
Jackie nodded. “He did.”
“As did many others.” A small smile hovered on Fionn’s lips. “Viking and MacLomain Ancestors alike.”
Very true.
“No disrespect intended, Fionn,” Jackie said softly. “But I was under the impression that you were as baffled as the rest of us by everything that happened since my friends and I traveled back in time.” Her eyes flickered between the gods. “If you knew all along exactly who the demi-god was and our story, why not go after him from the beginning rather than put Robert the Bruce through so much? Why have Darach and his cousins been trained from childhood to protect him?”
“A wise man once told me that ‘twas all the moments in between that mattered most,” came a familiar voice. “Or mayhap I was that great man.”
Adlin MacLomain, young and healthy, appeared beside the gods.
“Nay, ‘twas certainly a great lass who said as much,” came another voice before Iosbail Broun appeared beside her brother.
Adlin’s brows swept up as he looked at her. “Aye?”
“Oh, aye,” Iosbail assured and grinned.
“Say what ye will, my wee bairns,” came a familiar voice as Eara trotted out of nowhere. “But never forget who ye learned such wisdom from to begin with.”
Jackie smiled as the horse shimmered then a woman appeared. Lovely, with little beads interwoven in her many braids and a long, white gown cinched at the waist with a gold belt, there was no mistaking Chiomara the Druidess.
“I was right!” Darach grinned. “Eara was Chiomara.”
Chiomara smiled softly at him. “Aye, laddie.”
A blink later, the druidess stood in front of Jackie.
“Sister,” Chiomara whispered as she took her hand, eyes moist. “Or ye once were.”
Jackie felt every ounce of love and familiarity with Chiomara that Gwendolyn once did. “And I somehow still am,” she managed before she embraced the druidess. “You risked so much for me. Gave up so much. I can’t tell you how thankful I am.”
“I would do it again and again. Anything to save ye.” Chiomara’s eyes flickered between her and Darach. “Anything to help you reconnect with a love I never should have dissuaded you from to begin with.”
“It wasn’t just about us, though,” Jackie reminded. “It was about keeping our people safe.”
“Aye. And we did.” Chiomara squeezed her hands. “After ye died and I left with Eoghan in pursuit, ‘twas Devlin who rose up against Da in your name. And ‘twas Devlin our clan followed. Under his leadership and without the oppression of the dark Druid, our people thrived.”
Her eyes went to Darach. “Ye never took another lass but focused everything you had on our clan. A few decades later, your warriors found ye beneath the oak in the dead glade. Ye’d passed away alone where ye’d last held Gwendolyn. This was in your hand.” She held out a piece of cloth. “’Twas hers. I held it for ye all these centuries.”
It was the handkerchief Darach had found in his pocket in Ireland. The one Gwendolyn gave him when they were married in secret.
“Bloody hell,” he whispered as he carefully took the threadbare material. He held it to his nose and inhaled as his eyes met hers. “It still smells like you…in that life and this one.”
“Unbelievable,” Jackie murmured before her eyes went to Chiomara. “I’m still curious about something.”
Chiomara cocked her head in question.
“Your hair. It was blond in Ireland and when Erin saw you in the Otherworld.” She fingered a braid. “But now it’s dark. How come?”
“That would be because of my magic,” Brigit interjected. “’Twas all part of her new life traveling across Eire.”
Jackie smiled at Chiomara. “I like it.”
Chiomara smiled as well. “Thank ye.”
“’Tis nearly that time,” Adlin interrupted softly. “Robert the Bruce leaves for home soon and Darach and Jackie should be ther
e.”
“Aye,” Chiomara agreed as she joined her children then gestured at the horse. “Eara is yours, Jackie. Brigit long foretold that ye would reconnect with your ring in the New World. So the horse was named for the Easterly direction that ye needed to travel to reconnect with your lost love.” She stroked the horse’s neck. “’Twas her I rode across Ireland after Gwendolyn passed on. And ‘twas she who was with me when I started my life with the Dalriada. A clan and king that led to so many wonderful connections through time.”
“Aye,” Adlin murmured. “But all truly started when a young druidess and her father’s first-in-command broke the rules and fell in love.”
“Aye,” the gods said at the same time.
“It has all been one long bloody good story, aye?” Iosbail said.
“Aye,” Adlin and Chiomara agreed, smiling.
“Thank you all so much,” Jackie said. “But I’m still curious about a few more things.”
Fionn and Brigit were already wrapped in each other’s arms so Adlin answered for them. “Aye?”
“While I’m glad we’re officially done with Eoghan, what about the original price of what Brigit did for Darach and me…or should I say, Gwendolyn and Devlin?” Jackie said. “Am I still doomed to die young in every life?”
“See, that’s a Broun right there,” Iosbail said triumphantly. “Always looking at the bigger picture.” She grinned. “And in an optimistic light considering she assumes she’ll meet Darach again in another life.”
Darach squeezed Jackie’s hand.
Adlin frowned at Iosbail while Chiomara shook her head and sighed. “Oh, my wee daughter, ye always did have a unique way of wording things.”
Iosbail’s brows slammed together. “I dinnae ken. ‘Twas logical enough.”
Chiomara shushed her and answered Jackie. “When all of the darkness was at last defeated, and ye found yourself here, the curse lifted and the price was paid in full. In this life and every one to follow.”
“In this life?” she asked, confused. “But I thought we were dead. Even if we aren’t, I’m still dying.”
Brigit pulled her lips away from Fionn’s long enough to tilt her head at Jackie. “Ye were in my healing water every bit as much as your lad, were ye not?”
Her heart thumped into her throat. Did Brigit mean what Jackie thought she meant? But it seemed the time for questions was past. Bright light flashed. When it faded, everyone was gone but the horse and Darach.
Yet Adlin’s last words whispered on the wind. “Use your magic and go home.”
Was she no longer sick? Did she dare hope?
“Do you think…” she started but the words caught in her throat.
“Aye, lass.” Darach pulled her close and tilted her chin until their eyes met. “I think you’re healed. But I want to know for sure. We need to get home and ask Lair.”
“Definitely.” She nodded. “That makes sense…but how do we get home?”
“I think I have an idea.” He eyed the horse. “But I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
“Why don’t we just head back down the way we came?” she said as he pulled her after him.
“Because it isnae there anymore.” They walked to the edge. The path they had traveled up was gone. Now, like every other side, it was a sheer cliff except where the waterfall poured off. And that was a straight drop down too.
“Though I can’t believe I’m saying it, poor Brae,” she murmured as she peered down. “A fall like that had to hurt.”
When Darach didn’t respond, she looked his way. “Speaking of Brae, when did you learn that she’d been enslaved by the bad guy? Things were crazy at MacLomain Castle, so I didn’t catch much. What happened? Because you seemed to know a lot more than before.”
“’Twas part of a well-executed plan by my Da and likely even Adlin. One that I still dinnae ken entirely.” He led her to Eara. “I’ll explain what I know once we get home.”
“You seriously can’t mean to ride this horse.” Jackie shook her head. “What about the tree? Why don’t we climb down then find a way to come back for her?” She patted Eara. “Or you climb down, and I’ll wait with her.”
He glanced over her shoulder. “I dinnae think that’s an option anymore.”
Jackie’s jaw dropped when she looked at the tree. The branches were shrinking back down the cliff.
Darach cupped the sides of her neck and made sure their eyes connected before he said, “You trust me, right lass?”
“We already went over this,” she reminded. “Of course, I do.”
“Good.” He rubbed his thumbs along her jawline gently. “Because I need you to do something that you’ve only ever done in a nightmare.”
“That doesn’t sound promising.”
“Nay,” he agreed. “But keep in mind we’re in the Otherworld so technically we’re still dead. That means, no matter how frightening things might seem, it cannae get much worse.”
“That sounds even less promising.”
“Mayhap.” She had no time to react before he tossed her on the horse then swung up behind her, his words close to her ear. “But I’ve never met a more courageous lass so this is but one more wee thing to face in a great adventure, aye?”
“I think that card might be overplayed by now,” she said warily as he directed the horse until they faced the water. “Really overplayed.”
Darach tilted her chin until their eyes met and his lips were inches from hers. “Like I told you, I had the strongest sensation when Eara leapt over the cliff in the nightmare that I had done such a thing with you before. It could not have happened in any previous life, Jackie. Only this one…such as it is now caught betwixt worlds.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I think ‘twas not a sense of hindsight but foresight. I think I sensed what we are about to do.”
She shook her head when she followed his line of sight. “Oh, no. That was a cliff in my nightmare, not a waterfall. So that kills your theory.”
“Not entirely. There’s still water involved,” he pointed out. “And this time ‘twill not only be part of our magic but Brigit’s healing waters. Powerful stuff, indeed.”
“Yeah, yeah, indeed.” She didn’t like it. Not a bit. “What about the poor horse?”
“As dead as us right now,” he reminded. “And likely willing to take the risk to live again.”
“I would think she’d be too spooked.”
“Does she appear spooked in the least?”
Jackie eyed the horse. If anything, Eara seemed eager. Her eyes met his. “This is insane.”
“Not really considering you possess the power of resurrection.”
She flinched. “You mean to say I’m going to resurrect all three of us?”
A twinkle lit his eyes. “’Twould be helpful considering we need to be resurrected.”
“You have a horrible sense of timing when it comes to humor, you know that?”
“It depends on how you look at it.”
“There’s only one way to look at it,” she said. “You’ve got poor timing.”
“Are you distracted?”
“Not at all.” Her eyes narrowed. “Nice try—”
He cut her words off with a deep kiss. The sort that made everything vanish and her problems fade away. The kind that truly distracted her. Then they were moving. And not in the dreamy, lustful out-of-body-experience sort of way.
Jackie ripped her lips away and held onto Eara’s mane as the horse started trotting through the shallow water. Darach wrapped his arm around her waist and said, “’Tis time to embrace your magic, lass.”
“But,” she started and held on tighter as the horse moved faster. She still wasn’t entirely sure how to embrace her magic. “Oh, hell.”
“No more hell for us,” he said, his voice urgent. “Now focus.”
That was easier said than done. But she did her best, focusing first on her fear. Yet fear soon turned to anger when she realized that this might be yet another end for them.
She
thought of how much had come between them for so long. All the years they must have lost because of Eoghan and Balor. Darach began chanting, and a tingling sensation started to spread through her as Eara broke into a run.
Close. Closer.
“I love you, Darach,” she said, just in case this was the end.
Closer still.
“Aye, lass, in every lifetime.”
Then the horse leapt into the air and they went sailing over the waterfall.
Chapter Twenty
“THERE THEY ARE!” someone yelled from the battlements as Eara landed and continued racing along the loch beside MacLomain Castle. The raging waterfall and sheer drop they experienced moments before were but a memory.
“We made it!” Jackie laughed. “And everything looks normal again!”
“Aye!” He laughed as Eara raced around the castle and onto the field. The gate was open, and the portcullises were raised. Everything was whole and beautiful.
When Eara stopped beneath the mighty oak, Darach pulled Jackie down, swung her around and kissed her soundly.
“Jackie!” a familiar voice called.
Jackie’s eyes rounded at him as Erin headed their way. “Did she just speak?”
“Aye, lass.” He grinned and let her go when Erin about barreled her over.
Jackie laughed when Nicole and Cassie arrived moments later, and all four embraced. He had no time to greet them because one by one his cousins embraced him and clapped him on the back.
“You had us truly worried.” Logan grinned. “We didnae think you made it, Cousin.”
Rònan offered a broad smile. “Och, I knew he had.”
“You knew no such thing.” Niall shook his head and grinned at Darach. “But I did.”
Soon enough, their lasses greeted Darach with big hugs. Everyone was smiling and laughing as they reunited.
“You can speak?” he said to Erin before his eyes found Cassie again. “And you’re wearing your glasses.”
“Yup, everyone’s back where they started,” Nicole piped up and cupped her ear with a wink. “Even me.”
“That’s wonderful but…” His eyes widened on her swollen belly. “How long have we been gone?”
Passion of a Scottish Warrior (The MacLomain Series: Later Years Book 4) Page 28