Initially, she thought he might have ordered them to attack in the first place but realized when they took off into the forest, his men had gone rogue. Which more than likely meant they were possessed. Where would they go now? How would they outrun Robert’s men who swiftly pursued no doubt to kill them?
They didn't deserve that. Not if they were possessed.
Her attention soon turned elsewhere when Aidan yanked her into his arms and held on tight. She felt in the tremble of his strong body how terrified for her he had been. Had he experienced their separation like she did? Had it been so strong?
“Did you feel it?” she whispered, referring to their connection. She shook not just from everything that had happened, but because she was fairly certain she’d pulled him to her. Or had it been the sunlight? “Did you see it?”
“What the bloody hell is going on here?” the new man on scene growled, swinging down from his horse. Of medium height and stocky, he had a hard, angular face. His furious, too-arrogant regard made her tense when he focused on the dead warrior, then Aidan, Cray, and Tiernan. “Who are ye? State yer business here.”
“As I told ye upon approach, these men are with me, Earl,” Robert reminded. “Friends all.” He introduced who turned out to be Donald, Earl of Mar, to the men then to Julie and Chloe. “They are allies, not enemies. Here to protect the rightful King David.” He gestured in the direction of the retreating men. “’Tis clearly yer men ye need worry about.”
One of Robert’s men returned, shaking his head, referring to the rogue warriors. “They are bloody gone! Vanished into thin air before our verra eyes!”
“Och, that is impossible,” Donald spat. “Keep searching. Bring them to me when ye find them.” He scowled at the forest. “My men are out there somewhere.”
Aidan’s thoughts flickered through her mind. It was just as he had suspected. Those men had been possessed by the Disinherited. But to where had they vanished? On Tiernan and Julie’s adventure, only the monks—those they assumed were the brotherhood in the flesh—were able to disappear. Now those they possessed could as well?
She noticed Robert didn't mention what he'd discovered about the MacLomains last night.
“Nor will he,” Aidan said into her mind. “Rumor has it he and Donald have never seen eye to eye. Nor do I imagine our future regent is a very open minded man. Even if he was, ‘tis a stretch to believe wizards came to Scotland’s aid in the last war. Most would sooner call it black magic and have us burned at the stake.”
“The earl seems like an ass anyway so probably better that he doesn’t know much about you,” she replied, more sensitive to his telepathic voice than usual. Perhaps because they were nearly separated? Whatever the cause, it felt like soothing honey on her raw nerves.
“I havenae heard overly favorable things about him.” Aidan remained by her side. “Other than that he leads battles well during wartime.”
Donald didn’t so much as nod hello to Aidan and his cousins but assessed their size and builds with approval. “If they fight for the true king, then so be it.” His dark regard landed on the women, and he scowled. “I dinnae like lasses traveling with my men.” He eyed Julie, clearly gauging her potential talents before his gaze narrowed in on Chloe’s cleavage. “Unless they are whores and serve a purpose, they cause too many problems.”
“I can assure ye my wife willnae cause problems.” Tiernan’s tone might be civil, but his expression was tight. “Nor will Laird Hamilton’s.”
Tiernan and Julie were married? Since when?
“They best not,” Donald grunted, clearly unconvinced. He swung onto his horse and departed, but not before ordering his man to collect the fallen warrior for burial.
Apparently, he didn’t think she deserved an apology for his man trying to kidnap her. No surprise really considering the lack of value he put on women. If anything, they should probably be grateful he didn't want retribution on Aidan for killing his soldier despite his evident defection.
“Well, isn’t he a bundle of joy,” Julie muttered after everyone but the five of them left. She smirked at Chloe’s attire. “Dare I ask?”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she replied.
When Aidan’s fingers grazed her cleavage as he wrapped a plaid around her shoulders, she shivered with awareness. Had he done that on purpose? His eyes were averted, so probably not.
“The only thing I can say,” she continued, speaking to Julie, “is that the goddess who Grant thinks is behind my clothing seems to like dressing me up.”
“Right, a goddess,” Julie murmured, evidently caught up on everything considering Tiernan knew she and Aidan were pretending to be married. But then they weren't the only ones married, real or otherwise, were they?
She smiled at Julie. “So, are congratulations in order?”
“Yes.” Julie grinned, her love for Tiernan so very obvious. “We were married at MacLomain Castle shortly after our adventure.”
“That's wonderful!” She embraced her friend. Thanks to her growing connection with Aidan, she knew how much they deserved it. “I'm so happy for you both.”
“Thank you, sweetie.” Julie went to pull away but stopped. Curious, sensing something, she fingered Chloe’s dress. Her gaze flickered to the sky and back. “I wondered why your ley-line shined so brightly.” She smiled warmly. “It wasn’t just because of your Claddagh ring but a Celtic sun goddess named Étaín, whose name literally means ‘shining one.’”
“Étaín?” she murmured, liking the sound of that.
“Yeah, her name came up on Tiernan’s and my adventure because of the solstice and streams of sunlight,” Julie said. “But it seems she’s more involved in this than we thought.” She glanced at Tiernan. “This likely explains, at least in part, what happened to us at the Irish Stonehenge.”
“What happened?” Chloe and Aidan said at the same time, equally curious.
“A couple of things.” Julie looked at Chloe. “First, the bright ley-line connected to you is also connected to the Brodgar Stonehenge and the Irish Stonehenge.” She shrugged. “While that in itself isn’t all that strange, the fact that I couldn’t travel along your ley-line was.”
“So, I’m connected by a ley-line to both Stonehenges,” she murmured, sensing something about it she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “A ley-line that should have brought you to me.”
“Yes, easily, considering my Guardian Witch magic.” Julie shook her head. “But something stopped me until today. I'm fairly certain the brotherhood meddled somehow because when we were at the Irish Stonehenge, I sensed you guys being lured by darkness. Likely when Aidan nearly ran off a cliff.” She frowned. “Anyway, it yanked you off my magical radar and made traveling along the line tricky.” She cocked her head in consideration. “But there was more too. Something or someone trying to help.”
Chloe eyed her for a moment before she realized where Julie was going with this. “You think Étaín stopped you as well.”
“I do.” She glanced between Chloe and Aidan. “I think she wanted to give you two a little time alone before too many people showed up on your adventure.” She nodded, sounding sure. “Étaín's definitely tied in with my Guardian Witch magic somehow. Or helping us because of my Guardian Witch ancestors.” She eyed Chloe. “More specifically, helping you.”
“Why, though?” She glanced at her dress. “And why like this?”
“I’m not sure.” Julie’s eyes changed a little when she accessed her magic. “Ah,” she whispered as if she saw something more clearly. “Though Étaín's known for many things, this time, it’s all about...” She seemed to search for the right words and came up with truly unexpected ones. “Transmigration of the soul.”
“What does that mean?” she whispered. Her vision began sparkling, and the trees grew more vibrant in color.
“It means this has less to do with Étaín being a Celtic goddess.” Julie looked at Chloe with awe. “And more to do with her being of the Fae.”
“Fae?”
“Faeries,” Aidan said softly, his gaze on Chloe's face just like everyone else’s. More so, on the source of her sparkling vision, her sparkling eyes. “Étaín is helping you because you possess Fae blood.”
“Aye,” Grant agreed, materializing out of thin air, impressed as he eyed Chloe with just as much awe. He shocked them with his declaration. “More pointedly still, Étaín’s helping a soul who went from being a faery in one life to a human witch in another.”
Chapter Fourteen
HE KNEW BY the way Chloe’s eyes flashed then returned to normal, leaving behind a peaceful expression, that she’d just learned something very important about herself. They both had because he was convinced it tied in with him somehow.
“Tell me more,” she whispered. Her gaze remained on Grant. “Tell me what this means.” Fresh curiosity sparked in her eyes. “Why would I go from being a faery to a witch? Does it tie in with the MacLomain-Broun connection somehow? And how does this tie in with Julie’s Guardian Witch power? And—”
“One thing at a time, lass.” Grant chuckled, charmed by her rather than exasperated. “Like all good things, you must wait for the answers to find you when they will.” He glanced from Aidan to Chloe, seeing what he wanted based on the approval in his eyes. “One thing is certain, though. This does indeed tie into the MacLomain-Broun connection.” He grinned. “Or should I say Hamilton-Broun connection?”
Aidan kept his expression neutral, unwilling to admit too much, but he knew that something had most certainly changed between him and Chloe. Otherwise, he would not have felt such stark fear when she was taken. Nor would he have felt their growing connection so strongly.
Better yet, recognized it for the lifeline it was.
When he sensed a Disinherited had grabbed her then felt the drag on his soul the further away she got, he realized that though he wasn’t ready to admit to love, he wouldn’t let her leave him. She would, when all this was over, remain by his side whether or not the feelings between them were real.
“Oh, they're real and well ye know it, lad,” great-granda said telepathically. “So ye best just accept it now. Ye cannae escape true love nor the power of the Claddagh ring, and I suspect, tis impossible to deny the love of a faery.”
“The love of a faery,” Chloe whispered, having obviously caught every word. Her eyes widened. “Love aside, are you saying I’m an actual faery now? If so, what does that mean? How will it affect me? What can I—”
“Nay, you’re not a faery,” Grant said, gently interrupting her before she asked more questions than he could keep up with. “You but have Fae blood, which will likely mean your Fae magic will merge with your witch magic as you come into your own.” He glanced from Aidan to her. “As to what I meant by the love of a faery, I believe there's a good chance your former faery fell in love with Aidan. ‘Tis without a doubt what helped your soul transmigrate into a form that could be with him.”
“Whoa.” Julie grinned at Tiernan. “This is getting even more intense than us hooking up.”
“Ya think?” Chloe murmured, a little lost. When she absently sat as if there were a chair waiting, Aidan chanted a log into existence for her to sit upon.
“Och, verra good indeed.” Grant nodded, pleased. “Your magic is returning, Aidan.”
It was, wasn’t it? His thoughts seemed clearer, and his emotions more tempered. He felt more in control and focused.
More alive.
That’s when it occurred to him that colors seemed slightly more vibrant, and the scent of the pines overhead more obvious. He felt the cool wind caress his skin and heard the sound of woodland creatures going about their business.
“The world is becoming less gray,” Chloe murmured. Her eyes rose to his. “And the darkness is receding.”
“Aye,” he whispered without meaning to.
“’Tis the power of the Fae at work,” Grant echoed. “The power of love.”
Before he could say another word, his ethereal form caught on the wind and blew away. It seemed for a moment he tried to manifest again but had no luck.
“I meant to ask Grant about that,” Cray said. “Why he seems to be having so much trouble staying with us.”
“It has something to do with whatever the Disinherited have done to our magic,” Tiernan enlightened. “’Tis affecting the afterlife as well.”
“You're right.” Chloe’s eyes sparkled a little. “But I think it's more specific than that. It’s targeting not just anyone in the afterlife but solely MacLomains.”
Julie nodded slowly, sensing something. “That’s exactly right.” Her eyes narrowed as she understood more. “Because the Disinherited have accessed my ancestors’ magic through the ley-lines...” She nodded, sure of herself. “This all has to do with them trying to stop Adlin from being born to Celtic King, Erc. Whatever they’re doing or already did tugs at deceased souls of MacLomain lineage.”
“Because they would cease to exist if the Celtic king was replaced,” Chloe murmured. “Or should I say be different souls entirely if someone other than the king had sired the lineage.”
“Och,” Cray muttered. “How are we to stop such enemies?” He scowled in the direction of the vanished warriors. “Enemies who can possess allies so easily? Then make them vanish altogether?”
“I don’t think they’ve vanished,” Chloe said softly, eyeing the woodland. “In fact, they haven't.”
Almost the moment she said it, Aidan felt the same. “She’s right. They’re out there somewhere.”
Cray looked between them before he headed into the forest. “I will go see.”
“What did you just feel, Chloe?” Julie asked. “What makes you so certain they’re not really gone?”
“I’m not sure,” Chloe murmured. “The forest appeared more vibrant for a moment, the air seemed to pulse, and I just knew. They're as alive as the trees around them.”
“I felt the same,” Aidan added. “Though I didnae see any pulse.”
“’Tis true,” Cray confirmed, returning in no time. “The rogue warriors are alive and heading back in the direction they came.” He shook his head. “I sense they have no recollection of what happened. They seem aloof. Even a wee bit disoriented.”
Tiernan sighed. “’Twill be baffling indeed when their commander confronts them, aye?”
“What’s Donald going to do to them?” Chloe frowned. “Shouldn’t we explain what happened to them, so they don’t get in trouble?” Her eyes widened. “What does that mean in this day and age, anyway? Will they be tortured? Put to death?”
“Och, nay.” Aidan sat beside her and rested his hand over hers to calm her. “Fighting men are too valuable nowadays. Especially those who fight for Scotland’s rightful king. They will likely have to see to less favorable chores en route for the offense of attacking us without having been given the order first.”
She frowned. “It doesn’t matter that one tried to kidnap a woman?”
“Unfortunately, not as much as it should,” he replied. “But then the one who took you has been slain. Something Donald didnae seem as upset about as he might have been.”
Though he doubted such was because he had taken a woman. No, his crime had been leading the offense in the first place.
She sighed. “It’s hard to remember not everyone here is as noble as you and your family.”
“Right,” Julie echoed, looking at Chloe with compassion. “I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to keep in mind the day and age and the state of this poor country. It's been the underdog for a long time, fighting the English to maintain freedom. Where most struggle through, some come out worse for wear.”
Chloe nodded, casting the men a sympathetic look. “It’s one thing to read about it, another to see it firsthand...to actually live it.”
“Aye, but ‘tis not all bad,” Aidan said softly. “Despite the hardships our country has faced, there are more good people about than bad. Courageous people who have seen the worst humanity has to offer and hav
e risen above it.” He shook his head. “People who have not given up. Will never give in.”
“Alba gu bràth!” Cray and Tiernan said at the same time.
“Aye.” Aidan nodded in agreement, vowing his allegiance. “Scotland forever.”
Silence settled as they contemplated the state of their beloved country and headed for their horses.
“What do you make of Chloe and Aidan sensing the warrior's before they reappeared?” Tiernan eventually asked Julie. “It must have to do with Chloe’s Fae magic, aye?”
“Definitely,” Julie confirmed. “Of course, once she sensed it, Aidan would too.”
Chloe glanced at Aidan but said nothing to that. She didn’t need to, though. He knew she wondered what he made of such a possibility. Something that so undisputedly connected them.
Julie appeared to mull things over. “I think it's also safe to say Étaín was more directly involved in what happened at the Irish Stonehenge long ago than we might have originally thought.”
“I agree,” Chloe said, recapping. “So now we have an ancient Irish brotherhood of monk-like warriors who can possess at random. Evil men who feel they were denied something, hence them being affiliated with the current disinherited nobles traveling with Balliol. We also have a mysterious ritual performed by Julie’s Guardian Witch ancestors to protect Adlin’s creation in his former life. Then another far more troubling but equally mysterious ritual performed by the brotherhood at some point along the line.”
Chloe ticked things off on her fingers that were helping them along their journey. “Six Stonehenges, five original Claddagh rings, then another ring given to Julie via her ancestors, a sacrificed unicorn, and the Stone of Destiny. And now we have a Celtic goddess involved who can seemingly make possessed warriors vanish then reappear.” She perked a brow at Julie. “Did I cover everything?”
“Give or take,” Julie conceded. “Sounds about right.”
“All but one part,” Aidan murmured, sensing something. He stopped short and looked at Chloe in wonder, positive he was right. “It wasnae Étaín who made the warriors vanish but you, Chloe.”
A Scot's Devotion (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, #2) Page 9