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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A Willing Warrior
Copyright ã 2004 Hollie Davidson
ISBN: 1-55410-187-5
Cover art and design by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books, a division of Zumaya Publications, 2004
Look for us online at:
www.zumayapublications.com
www.Extasybooks.com
DEDICATION:
This is dedicated to Joann and Amie, just because we share the love for those Highland Warriors.
Prologue
Sixteenth Century Scotland
Kolten MacVander turned in time to see the arrow pierce Jewel’s chest. Just for that moment the world stopped, and all he could focus on was Jewel. Her green eyes stared into his, widening as she reached for the arrow sticking out of her chest. He could see the pain in her expression. His long hair blew into his eyes in the cool night air, and he pushed it back. He roared at the top of his lungs as she fell to the ground, her body covered in blood, her breathing shallow. He ran to her side, but the tower guards held him back. The castle was under attack, and their number one responsibility was to keep him safe and free from any and all danger. Kolten was enraged, filled with hate for the Goathers. He flung out his massive arms, knocking them to the ground. Nothing would keep him from Jewel. He ran to her side, sinking to his knees.
Pulling her into his arms, he pleaded, “Don’t die on me.”
His skills as a warrior kicked back in, and he checked to make sure the guards had secured the tower area. He made sure they were safe before caressing her face, hoping to wake her up, mentally pleading with all the spirits he could think of to keep her alive.
She looked up at him, attempting to blink away the rain spattering her face. “Kolten, it hurts.”
Kolten flinched at the blood all over his arms, knowing it was hers. “Jewel, don’t die. Hold on, my love. I’ll call Gunner, and you’ll be all right.”
“Kolten, tis’ not all right, I’m dying.” Her breath grew ragged as she fought to speak. “I could never tell you before, but I must now. I’ve always loved you.” Her body tightened, her eyes began to close. She took one last breath and then was gone, her muscles relaxing, her eyes fixing open in a glassy stare.
It took everything he had to reach up and brush his hand across her face, closing her eyes, knowing he would never look in them again, knowing he would never see her again, and knowing he would never love another like he loved her.
He pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, “fa-near dhomh a-chaoidh.” Yes, she would be on his mind and heart forever. His anger took over and he looked up and roared to the heavens, his tears mixing with the rain that fell from the skies. Someone touched his shoulder, and he reflexively turned to attack. A knight stood behind him.
“We must go before they return.”
Kolten picked her up, holding her close to his chest. For such a horrific time, the moon shone brighter then any other night he’d ever seen. Many of his knights lay dead, blood oozing from their wounds. He simply stepped over them, too hurt, too distraught to think of their names or their families. They were dead; nothing could be done to save them.
As they approached the castle door, he kicked it, sending it crashing against the wall. He walked down the tower steps to her chambers. Once inside, he placed her atop the furs covering her bed and fell to his knees, crying, while he held and kissed her hand. Nothing could have been worse then how he felt at that moment. Jewel was gone; she was ripped from him, taken before he’d his chance to tell her of his love. Had she known? Had she known he loved her more then his own life? Rage overcame him as he realized he’d failed her. He’d not taken care of her as he’d promised her long ago. He lowered his head, ashamed of what he hadn’t done.
Keith walked in and knelt beside his brother. He was a little smaller in muscular strength, but his quick movements with a sword set him apart from any other man. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Kolten simply sat by Jewel, holding her hand. Nothing, nobody mattered. “I’ll never, never love again.”
Keith remained silent.
“I never told her I loved her, Keith. I spent all my time pushing her away from me. The truth is, I loved her, and I wanted to be with her. I don’t want to live if she’s not by my side. There’s so much I should’ve said and done.”
Kolten rose from the floor. Keith touched his younger brother’s shoulder. “The guards have things under control. The leaders got away, but I have sent out the best to find them and bring their heads to you. Revenge will be yours, little brother.” Keith stared at Jewel’s lifeless form before taking her cold hand in his. “Goodbye, sweet Jewel.”
Masias, their father, arrived in the chambers where his sons both sat in silence. Masias was a mountain of a man. Years ago, he had been quite the looker and women lined up for the chance just to see him. His hair was long and gray with a matching beard that rested on his chest. His delay had been for his protection. Once the perimeters were safe, he had been released from the guard’s protection. “I’m sorry about Jewel.”
Kolten wouldn’t look into his father’s eyes. He’d loved Jewel, too. His father had taken her in when her parents were murdered by Goathers. She had been like a daughter to him.
But for now he didn’t care about anyone else’s pain but his own. The reality of her death hadn’t truly set in. His heart ached, his world spinning out of control. His beloved Jewel couldn’t be dead.
“I’m going to read the scrolls. There has to be a way to bring her back, Father. If there is, I will bring her back...and marry her.”
* * * *
He slowly walked out of the room, and Masias looked at Keith
“His heart is broken. He’ll forget about her someday and find love again.“
Keith rose, watching his brother head off toward the hidden chambers. “No, Father, he won’t forget her. You yourself have said once we love, we love forever.”
Masias turned and faced his eldest son. “And that’s what worries me.”
He felt his son’s pain. When his wife had grown ill, he’d begged her to become immortal, but by the time she had agreed, it was too late. How his heart had ached for so long. He hadn’t thought he could breathe without her. His bedchambers weren’t the same. He’d even changed rooms because the memories hurt so badly. Their sons were forced to grow up without a mother; he was forced to live an unhappy life. He’d promised to raise their sons correctly and make them into warriors, and he’d fulfilled that promise.
He eased his weary bones down into the chair beside the crackling fire. He stared into the blaze, losing himself in thought. Keith was a master in his own time; he was very strong and silent, his silence known to worry many. He was a good Laird and a good son. Kolten was hotheaded, but an excellent warrior. While he had the fighting skills his brother lacked, Keith had more common sense. He thought things through, where Kolten was more impulsive.
>
Masias knew the suffering his son would have to endure, but that was the way of things. He blamed himself, too. He should have had Gunner cast the spell to make Jewel immortal. It just never seemed like the right time. Now she was dead, and he had to share in his son’s grief.
Kolten had actually been the one who found her. He’d been out riding when he came upon a burning cottage deep in the woods, the smell of blood saturating the air. He knew the Goathers had attacked the poor family by the banner hung on a simple stick in front of the small cottage. He hated their kind. They stole from so many, then killed, usually after raping the women. He was preparing to leave when he saw a trail of blood. His curiosity got the best of him, so he followed it. Lying in the grass was a young girl who looked about ten years old, but her body betrayed her to be beyond those years. Her long golden hair, streaked with blood, spread across the rich green grass. How on earth she’d escaped their rage was beyond him. This band of the Goathers had little regard for age. She would’ve been raped and killed along with the other women.
Kolten had dismounted and leaned down beside her. Her breathing was shallow, but at least she was still alive. He placed her before him on his horse and took off as fast as he dared for the castle.
On the instructions of Bess, who’d begun shouting the minute he thundered into the castle’s courtyard, he’d taken her to a guest chamber. Bess had nursed her back to health. Masias soon learned that she was special, not only in his eyes, but his son’s. Bess had planned on making her one of the chambermaids, but Masias intervened, deciding to bring her up as a part of his family. They had discovered she was twelve, not ten as they had thought when Kolten found her... just eighteen when she’d died.
One of them had pinned her to the bed, and at her screams her father stabbed her attacker. Two more Goathers ran in, and one slit her father’s throat while the other slashed Jewel, who had escaped through the window while the Goathers ransacked the house and murdered the rest of her family.
At first, she’d been a quiet girl. Masias walked out into the gardens, remembering dear Jewel and her bouts with Kolten. As the years went by, Kolten and Jewel fought more than anyone.
Kolten and Jewel’s bickering had started early on. While he tried to be the big, strong protector, she didn’t want anyone telling her what to do. She had been filled with spirit and strength. There wasn’t another female alive that got away with the things she had said or done to Kolten.
Masias would tire of their constant fighting, but it wasn’t till Bess told him they were in love he started to see their arguing as a form of flirtation. He left them alone to play their games, though it seemed everyone but them saw the attraction.
* * * *
Keith ate his breakfast in silence, worried for his brother. In the days following Jewel’s death, Kolten lost weight and didn’t train with the knights. Days turned into weeks, and he buried himself in his chambers. Masias entered the great hall and sat on the bench beside him, accepting a tankard of ale from a maid. “He won’t open the doors, nor allow me to enter. Keith, you must talk to him,” his father implored. “You must get him to eat. I’m afraid he’ll die if he does not get nourishment.”
Keith stood and walked up the gray stone castle steps to his little brother’s chamber, impatiently brushing aside the thick multicolored tapestries that shifted with his movements. He worried so much about his brother. He couldn’t imagine loving someone more then life, but that was surely what Kolten was doing. He was dying without Jewel.
The door was bolted shut. “Kolten, let me in. I must speak with you.”
There was no answer, and Keith banged on the door again. “Kolten, let me in. If you don’t open the door, I’ll bust it down.” He waited but heard nothing. He stepped back and after a few kicks, the door fell to the ground with a loud crash.
He stood in shock at what he saw. Jewel lay beside Kolton, her body still intact, as if she had never died. Keith walked closer to the bed and jumped back as her chest rose and fell.
“Kolten, what have you done?” he cried.
Kolten lay beside her, not moving. Keith moved closer and saw the circle marked on his chest, a huge black circle that formed concentric circles within it, ending in a small black dot. He yelled for his father, who quickly joined him. “What has he done?”
Masias raced in, taking in the scene. He turned to Keith. “Go find Gunner, and find him now.”
Keith ran to his chambers and closed the door. Once inside he closed his eyes and began to chant. “Gunner, Gunner, where are you? Gunner, this is no time to be playing games, me friend. Please, Gunner, we need you.”
Gunner was a fairy that held magical powers. He had grown up not only with Kolten and Keith but with Masias, as well. He was a trusted friend in time of need, but also had a feisty side to him.
He appeared suddenly out of thin air, with a nervous expression. Gunner didn't resemble the storybook fairy type much. His slim frame was a good head smaller then the two brothers and his very long hair, a pale blonde color, hung smoothly past his waist. His eyes were a sky blue and his ears a bit pointed.
“Father wants to see you now.” Keith hurried him out the door and to Kolten’s chambers.”
“Lord, you have called for me.”
Masias pointed to his son’s still figure, lying next to Jewel's body. “What has he done?”
“My Lord, he said you knew of his decision.” Gunner walked closer to Kolten, looking down at him.
“I know nothing of this! What has he done? How is it she’s dead, yet still breathes?” Masias shouted, banging his fist on the table near his son’s body.
Gunner pointed to the circle. “Is magic, Sire. He offered his soul for her life. If she does not return to him of her own free will by the next full moon, they both die. He rests with her until this happens. She breathes because he does.”
Keith ran his hand through his hair, scratching the side of his face. “He’s immortal; he can not die.”
Gunner backed away, slowly. “He offered his soul to the Queen.”
Masias screamed, “No!” Again he slammed the table beside the bed, this time splintering it, then turned and left his son's silent bedroom.
* * * *
Masias was too angry to speak. He needed to think. Not Kolten. Not his son. He stormed out of the room and to his own chambers. Looking up at the painting on the wall, he fought to control his own tears. His wife’s lovely face stared back at him, her smooth hair caught back in a jeweled clip, looking as if she could feel her family's pain. He could almost hear her crying.
He fell to his knees, shaken. “I’m sorry, my beloved. I’ve failed our child."
She didn't respond. Why hadn't she chosen to stay with him? Why was death so important?
Finally he wept...for his son's loss, and his own.
Later that evening, Masias sat in the secret chamber. He had regained his control, fumbling through several ancient documents. Masias turned as Keith entered, handing him a scroll. “We read to find out what we can do. I have to save him.”
So began their quest. For the next few days, they read all the old scrolls, pausing only for a bit of food and drink, sleeping only a couple of hours. Their eyes reddened from the tiny, elaborate print. Finally, the last scroll was replaced. Both men were only able to stay awake out of pure will. They were tired, they were aggravated, but more determined to save Kolten than before.
Masias turned to Keith. “‘Tis only you who can save him. When we die, son, our souls live on. Some find satisfaction in the place none of us know about. If our lives are incomplete, we find resurrection in another time. Jewel’s soul was sent forward to anther century because her life wasn’t complete. She has gone on, and will spend her whole existence searching for him. But, son, she’ll never find him, because she won’t remember who ‘tis she’s searching for.”
“I’ll save him, but how?”
Masias closed his eyes. “You must go forward and find her. We don’t have much time le
ft. I’m afraid we must enter the sacred caves and step into her time.”
Keith just nodded his head, not saying a word.
Masias put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “May the gods be with you, Son. Hurry home.”
Chapter One
2004
In a small two-bedroom apartment, Leanna plopped down on her bed. “I’m so tired. I hate my life. Seriously, Amber, do I have an ad for losers on my forehead?” She threw a pillow at the wall, nearly knocking down the lighthouse clock her mother had bought her for Christmas. Her room was filled with lighthouse figurines and pictures covering the dresser resting against the wall by the door. Her jewelry box was open with necklaces hanging out. The bed added to the mess with pillows thrown all over the place. She was not a neat person.
Amber, her fiery blonde roommate, threw some mail at her. “Why are you so intent on finding a man?”
Leanna covered her head with a pillow and screamed into it, then sat up. “Whatever happened to chivalry? Whatever happened to a romance? I mean, men are complete jackasses.”
She grabbed one of her old travel books from the bedside table. “I think I’m the last virgin alive. I swear, on my tombstone it will read The Last Virgin.”
Amber waved her hand in the air. “You forgot me, and Leanna, all you do is work in that ugly old library.”
She tossed her book down. “It’s not ugly. Those artifacts are centuries old. It’s amazing how they withstand the hands of time. They’re from the days men wore kilts and had axes and swords hanging from their belts.”
“Have you ever found out if those barbarians wore anything under them kilts? Seriously, Leanna, haven’t you ever wondered how they keep them up there?”
Leanna threw a magazine at her friend. Amber always had something witty or smart-assed to say.
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