“The baby would then have been raised as his parents’ own, with them never knowing it is really Seamus inhabiting their son. Horrible, dark spell. One that should never be used.” Merlin frowned.
“I believe that Drakkor is responsible for the spell and is the one who helped bring him back. It takes three to speak the incantation. I don’t know who the third person would have been. If they have plans together, I need to find out exactly what they are. We need to get busy. If I appear sick, you’ll know it’s happened to me. I won’t have any memory of it. Tell me again everything you saw Lauren, maybe we can figure the time frame.”
“Weel. I noticed it was fairly warm. You had the tapestries pulled back from the windows. There was a full bright moon letting light through.”
“Hmm,” mumbled Merlin. “Full moon was two nights past. It will take twenty-eight moons to be full again. Late spring now, in the time until the next full moon, it could be that warm. I would say that is the time we have to stop him. Tell me exactly how he looked, maybe I know him.”
After Lauren described him in detail, Merlin said, “Hmm he seems familiar to me. I have a hunch, but I must speak to someone first, then see Ian. Conall you will move inside my room with me. I’ll have a bed brought in. If Seamus comes, he’ll be cloaked and no one else will see him, but you should be able to see him with your powers of seeing what’s not there. If we can’t stop him before that, maybe you can.
“Cameron read all you can of the grimoire then discuss it with Lauren. Help me figure this out. Dougal my master mage, if something happens and I can’t counteract his magic, I will need you to be ready to do it for me. Know the spells well and get anything you need for them ready. Lauren anything you see in dreams or otherwise, no matter how insignificant, tell me and the others right away.
“The angels are coming to meet with me today. We will tell them what we’ve talked about. Maybe they will have some ideas. I wish the God of Light and the God of Dark would come to our aid, but as with all Gods they won’t interfere with free will. It’s just their way. Oh well… It’s almost light and I need to go.” With a swirl of his arm, Merlin was dressed in his long garments, he threw open a portal, and disappeared.
Chapter 9
After they spent the second day together, enjoying the loch and each other, they spent the night entangled in each other’s arms, sleeping deep until morning. Now it was time for Elspeth to meet part of Ian’s family. She was chewing on her lip looking at the gowns before her. “I can’t decide!” She turned toward Ian who was standing watching her with a smile on his face. “Which should I wear, Ian? They are all so beautiful.”
“It would please me if you wore nothin’.”
“Ian! Please this is not funny. I want your mother and sisters to like me.”
“They’d still like you if you wore nothin’. Might think you a bit touched, but they’d still like you.”
“Eweeee! Okay!” She closed her eyes and turned around in a circle, reached down and pulled up a pale, yellow dress. Opening her eyes, she said, “Okay, I’ll wear the blue!” She dropped the yellow and picked up a gown with a dark blue velvet bodice and a v that pointed to her waist, light blue silk long sleeves that came to a matching v over her hands, and full skirt of light blue silk with a dark blue underskirt.
“I’ll never understand a woman’s way of thinkin’.” Laughed Ian, then he grew quiet, looking thoughtful. “You get dressed and I’ll be right back.”
“Where, are you going?”
“Hush now. You’ll see. I’ll be right back.” He hurried from the room.
When he returned, he stood in the doorway and stared.
“Well don’t just stand there, please help me with my hair. It’s tangled and messy I can’t do anyth…what is in your hands Ian?”
He pulled his hands from behind his back and in them were handfuls of gentian flowers. Little blue flowers to match the dress. “I thought you may like these for your hair. Here I’ll help.” He pulled the ribbon from her waist and cut off a piece long enough to circle around her head. “Sit and give me your brush.”
“How would you know about a lady’s hair?” She smiled.
“I have four sisters, remember?” He picked up the brush and brushed her long tresses. He put the band around her head and tucked most of the flowers under the ribbon. Her hair flowed free, shiny, and silky down her back. When he finished he handed her the looking glass.
She held the glass up looking left to right. “You’re so thoughtful, Ian. It’s perfect! How do I look?” She stood and twirled.
“Perfect and bonnie. My mither will love you! Let’s go, shall we?” He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. They headed toward the castle.
“Mither!” Ian hollered. They entered through the twelve-foot glossy waxed cedar doors, banded in iron, swinging inward.
She looked up to see a woman who must be Ian’s mother and four beautiful young women come running in. “What’s the matter, Ian? Is everything…” The woman stopped and stared. She felt the weight of her gaze. “Why Ian, who is this lovely lady?” Ian’s mother smiled and floated toward them to take her hand. She blushed and smiled at the beautiful dark-haired woman.
“Elspeth McLellan, lady.” And she curtsied.
“Please,” said Moira. “Call me Moira, we don’t stand on privilege here. We’re all friends.” Moira looked at Ian. “Weel do you have anything tae say?” All his sisters came up and stood around them.
“Mither.” From her he pointed to each sister. “These are my sisters, Brenna, Fiona, Catriona, and Akira. The last two we call Cat and Kira when they are likable.” The two younger girls groaned at their nicknames but smiled happily. “This is Elspeth McLellan. She’s agreed tae be my wife!” He stood proud, smiling, and put his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. Chaos erupted as they all started talking excitedly.
She turned to watch Moira gaze at her eldest son. With tears in her eyes his mother said. “Ian McGregor, you remind me of your Da. You really love her, I can tell.”
Turning toward her, she took both her hands. “Welcome tae the family, I could use another daughter. I think we shall get along fabulously.”
“Thank you, Moira. I was anxious to meet you all.”
“Och Elspeth, would you do us sisters the honors of making your weddin’ dress? We have new material brought tae us from the Orient. We’d love for you tae see and pick some oot! This is the first weddin’ in our family. Oooh, it’ll be such fun. We can wear our new gowns!”
“Kira.” Ian gave Akira the look of a stern reprimand.
“I’d love it, Akira.” She smiled. “I’ve always wanted sisters!” The giggling girls grabbed her and headed to the stairs when a scream came from the kitchen area.
“Lady Moira, come quick!” screamed Bradana. “Sorcha has cut herself badly. She was cuttin’ cabbage and the knife slipped…”
She turned quickly. “Let me!” she said running after Bradana.
Moira started to refuse when Ian said. “Let her, Mither she’s a healer.”
Everyone followed them to the kitchens. Lying on the floor in a pool of blood was a young girl with her arm torn open, blood gushing from a cut. They stilled as she knelt and placed her hands above the wound, leaned back and began chanting. The healing light surrounded her, left her hands, and entered the wound.
She heard them gasp in surprise as the wound began to knit. The only other sound in the room was her chanting. When she finished, she opened her eyes and she saw everyone staring at her, in complete silence.
Then Sorcha mumbled, opened her eyes, and Bradana ran to her daughter. She looked at Elspeth. “Thank you so much, my lady. You saved my daughter.” Then she cried and held Sorcha close.
They were walking back to the great hall, the girls all asking questions about her healing ability. She laughed and started to answer, when a portal opened, and Merlin stepped through.
“Good, you’re here Ian, Elspeth. You need to come with me
now.”
Moira stepped up, “What in the world now? Merlin!”
“Moira it’s of the essence they come with me. I’ll explain later. Please Ian. Now. Elspeth?” She looked at the girls then Moira. Moira tilted her head, “Go ahead we ken how Merlin is. Please come back as soon as you can.” Moira smiled then added, “We have a weddin’ tae plan.”
She smiled, curtsied, and took Ian’s hand and they entered the portal after Merlin.
****
“My, she’s bonnie!” sighed Fiona.
“Did you see what she can do?” asked Akira.
“Kind of quick for marriage, do you think mither?” asked Catriona.
Moira laughed. “Your father and I kenned the moment we met each other that we were meant tae be together. We loved each other at first sight. Ian’s waited hundreds of years tae meet his mate. In a way that’s long enough, dinna you think?”
Akira frowned. “What did Merlin want, mither? We dinna get a chance tae show Elspeth the material.”
“I doona ken daughter, but she’ll be back. Whatever you haven’t sewed, save the rest for when she comes back. Go fold it up and make it nice for when she sees it. Kenning all of you it’s probably strung oot everywhere.”
“Aye,” Akira said. “She’s right. Let’s go.” They all agreed and went running up the stairs, in fits of giggles and laughter.
Moira stood thinking about Merlin with a worried look on her face. She looked upward. “Lachlan please bring everyone home safe.” She turned to go see how Bradana and Sorcha were doing.
Chapter 10
Elspeth and Ian entered Merlin’s large library from the portal. Ian’s brothers stopped what they were doing, turned, and stared at Elspeth.
“I wish everyone in my family would quit starin’ at my future wife,” stated Ian with a frown.
“Where’d you find such a bonnie woman, Ian?” asked Lauren. “And what did you do to her tae convince her tae marry the likes a you?”
Conall smiled big. “Let her spend some time with me and she’ll change her mind.”
Ian grumbled. “Elspeth, my brothers, Conall,” Conall nodded. “Lauren.” He did the same. “Dougal, and Cameron. This is Elspeth McLellan…my future wife!” He declared ostentatiously.
Merlin cleared his throat, then waited as they all turned to him. “I need to discuss with all of you what I believe to be. Thanks for coming Ian and Elspeth. I have some bad news Elspeth. Please sit you two.”
“What are you yappin’ aboot Merlin? Exactly what’s goin’ on?” Ian had a frown, but he led Elspeth to a seat and sat himself.
Merlin didn’t enjoy telling them what he knew, but he explained everything he and Ian’s brothers had discovered. After bringing Ian and Elspeth up to speed, he turned to Elspeth. “I’ve talked to the Ayriris Angels of the Plelin angel’s court and I’ve found out what happened after your brother was born. Your brother is not yours, but mine. I’m afraid the only true thing that is left of your brother is his body. His soul is gone. Your brother is actually Seamus and he was brought back to life as a baby. He stole your brother’s body.”
“But that’s not possible, my mother was pregnant, she gave birth to Athdar,” she said. He’s alive I can feel it. I don’t know why, I just do,” she said, hysterically not making any sense.
Merlin smiled sadly. “Yes, she was pregnant but Seamus’ spirit or essence if you will, replaced your brother’s. The child you remember as your brother Athdar, has always been Seamus, my evil brother.”
Gods, Merlin hated doing this to her. She wasn’t seeing reason. “Your brother’s body was the only thing left after Seamus’ spirit entered his body. I’m sorry, but when he took over your brother’s body his soul was released. You never actually knew your real brother.”
He didn’t have the heart to tell her they could have imprisoned her brother’s soul, he really didn’t know where the poor soul was, and neither did the Ayriris angels, only the One Great God would know. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the torture her brother must have endured for the ritual to be completed.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid…”
“Doona you even say it, Merlin. I willna have Elspeth think the worst.” Ian grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll find oot, you have my word.”
“I can’t help thinking the worst, Ian. Drakkor seems very bad, and now I also understand why the king laughed when he said Athdar was just like him. But in my heart, I know my brother is still alive somehow. I can feel him. We have to help his soul, Ian.
“But Athdar? I always thought something wasn’t right. I don’t know him well. I wasn’t raised with him, but I never felt comfortable around him.” She began to cry again.
Ian immediately put his arm around her and hugged her close. “Doona cry, sweetling, I’m here. I promise you, we will find oot the truth. Damn it Merlin! Won’t we!” he said, looking angrily at Merlin.
He cringed, but he wasn’t responsible for it, he was just the bearer of bad tidings. Ian and his brothers looked at Elspeth with pity. He felt very sorry for her loss, but not pity. Perhaps she could feel her brother’s spirit somewhere. He would find out where his soul went. If he could. At the very least he was damn sure going to try. “We’ll figure it out, Elspeth. I’ll do my best to find out for you.
“Right now, we have more pressing matters. First, if Seamus, who I’ll call Athdar from now on, gets the chance to take my ether it can kill me. Unless he takes just a fraction, which could give him just enough insight about the book. This is probably what he wants. There are two ethers in each of us, light and dark. The dark ether heavy and oily, the light, well light.”
“Aye,” interrupted Cameron. “From what I’ve read there is one drug for light ether, another for dark. The two can be mixed and used together tae kill or suck oot the soul, but I think Athdar and Drakkor are the ones responsible and are looking at men who are more evil than good,” he said tapping his fingers to the grimoire subconsciously.
“Because, when they use the drug tae remove the light ether, only evil remains. When we are born, we have equal amounts of light and dark, as we grow and take on traits developing who we are, the side we choose grows with it. If a mon lives a good life, his light ether grows, overpowering the dark. The same is true for the dark. What we end up with is either a good mon with a good soul, or a bad mon with a darker soul, or somewhere in between. However, never is either one depleted. People can and do change, so does their balance of ether.”
“So. You’re saying he’s draining good ether from fae and Vampire, tae turn them demon and they keep their powers? How are they changing soldiers into demons?” Ian asked. “Are they draining their ether?”
“Theoretically that is how they are keeping powers of fae and vampire,” continued Cameron. “With only evil left they would be strong leaders in an evil army. No lightness tae balance them oot. We think the kings are taken and changed, then they change their malevolent soldiers into evil demons.
“To change the evil soldiers takes only blood, of course they have tae agree tae give up their souls. Not much trouble there. With good soldiers, perhaps an ether drain, depending on light and dark balance. If a mon is almost purely good, a complete ether drain could kill him, as there isn’t much evil ether left to sustain him.
“With the fae and vampires same story, but they’d never agree, they would put up a fight against it. Ether leaching, if I’m correct, on them as weel. Although it would be much harder tae do. If Seamus and Drakkor are planning such a huge move as tae take over both worlds, they would need the fae, vampire, and demon soldiers. The fae and vampire willna make an army, but leading demons makes sense,” said Cameron. He leaned back in his chair and pulled his light blond hair back off his face.
“The kings are bein’ targeted for their soldiers. This covers great distances and many tae turn. Drakkor and Athdar canna do all the changin’ themselves it would take a tremendous amount of time, so we believe the turned kings, fae, and vampir
es are doin’ it,” explained Cameron.
“How do we stop this madness, Merlin?” asked Ian.
“First,” Dougal answered instead. “We stop Athdar from killing Merlin, and from gainin’ his knowledge. We have aboot twenty-five days tae prepare. I’m workin’ on some magic spells now. Cameron is still readin’. The angels are oot working on answers, Conall has his eyes open looking for anythin’ unnatural, and we’re waiting on Lauren’s dreams and visions.”
“What I need from you, Ian,” explained Merlin, “is for you to get in Mystic castle and find out what you can. Athdar is there for a reason.”
“How am I tae do that? Walk right up. Hi, I’m Ian McGregor and I want you tae tell me every evil thin’ you’re plannin’ on doin’?”
“I have an idea,” spoke Elspeth for the first time, in a small voice. “I’m wanted for treason so says King Rulm, even though I caught him assaulting and killing a young woman.” She looked around at everyone looking at her. “I didn’t commit treason!”
“I know,” said Merlin. “Please continue, no one believes you of treason. I assure you.” Mumbles of agreement crossed over the table.
“Well, they don’t know who Ian is. He could make up a name and take me to turn me in. They will throw me in the dungeon until a trial is had. It’s the law. He should have just killed me in secret. Saying I committed treason was a mistake on his part. Now that that is out, they will bring me in alive. But I fear the real reasons the king wants me alive…I saw his face, it was pure evil, and the look in his eyes told me he wanted me in the way he had used that poor woman.”
“That will ne’er happen to you, Elspeth! I willna allow it!” said Ian.
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