[2015] Dance of the Minotaur

by TC Calligari

  She had always known that Teirnan would make an excellent leader of men. He had always been one to throw himself into hard work and come to the aid of others. It had been one of their many shared traits, during that summer of romance. Deirdre was not surprised to see the respect and appreciation shown for the man who could easily have sent others to complete the task in his stead.

  As the days passed, Teirnan’s angular muscles grew tanned in the light of the highland sun. He, like the other men, had chosen to complete the task wearing only his heavy kilt. While Deirdre had seen many male chests in her time, and though there were at least a dozen circling around her at any point in the day, she found her husband’s tall but lean frame singularly distracting.

  At night she was plagued with longing to be near him, only to admonish herself for her foolhardy fantasies in the light of day.

  Whether or not he was aware, she watched him. After a day of back breaking work, he made time to speak with the farmer about the future of the land, give advice to the young boys as the struggled to control their shifting, as Teirnan once had, and even to promise an additional shipment of supplies from the estate to help the family get through the harsh winter months. Despite her personal feelings for her husband, Deirdre could not deny that Teirnan was a partner to be proud of. Though she tried to hang on to her bitterness she found herself remembering the reasons that she had loved him in the first place.

  When the home was completed, and the party on its way, Deirdre found herself reluctant to return to her isolated existence at the Laramie estate. Teirnan, as laird, would be able to inform her of other families who were in need of aide, if she could put her pride aside and speak with him on a regular basis.

  With a new resolution in her heart, Deirdre decided to find her own purpose in her new life. She might not have the best marriage, but she could at least fulfill her role as Lady to the tenants of the Laramie lands.

  As night fell on the final night of their journey, Deirdre had just settled down beside the fire with a steaming bowl of rabbit stew when she heard the most voracious roar a good distance into the forest. Instantly, the mend around her tensed. Two more growls, distinctly that of a bear, broke the silence of the night and the men around her began to hastily disrobe and run off toward the call.

  She grabbed the shirt of a man running past her and forced him to look at her.

  “What does three mean?” she demanded. Knowing full well that the men had codes for different levels of danger.

  “McKinnons.” He tore himself away from her grasp and rushed into the woods, pulling his shirt over his head as he ran.

  Deirdre looked around. Only four men, still in human form, remained at the camp. Their swords were drawn but she could see that they wanted nothing more than to follow their friends.

  Suddenly, Teirnan was in front of her. He was breathing loudly, as if he has just run a great distance. His hands settled on her shoulders and he shook her slightly when she failed to focus on his words.

  “Stay here.” His eyes were serious.

  “Take the men.” She whispered. Understanding that the four men left behind were set to guard her. Her heart sank with the knowledge that the precaution would not have been necessary if they had traveled without her female presence, as initially intended. For a brief moment she wished that she were a skilled huntress, like Skye.

  “No.” He shook his head and nodded toward the fire, which had been doused but was still smoking. “They’ll follow it.”

  Deirdre reached into the satchel beside her and pulled out a lethal looking dagger, still sheathed in leather.

  “Which way?” She asked.

  Teirnan shook his head again. He knew that she was offering to run for cover in the opposite direction, allowing all of the men to participate in the battle. “I can’t guarantee that they haven’t circled us.”

  She clutched the front of his shirt with steely resolve, the dagger in her hand resting parallel to his chest, nonthreatening. “Which way, Teirnan?”

  Another roar rose through the forest, and Teirnan wave the four remaining men away. Without bothering to disrobe, they transformed before her eyes, great beasts that lumbered into the brush with surprising speed and agility.

  His hands settled on her shoulders once more and Teirnan released a deep sigh.

  “Behind you.” He whispered, jerking his head in the directed that would lead away from the fight. “Run as far as you can and then hide. Don’t reveal yourself to anyone.”

  Deirdre nodded. “You’ll find me?”

  “I promise.” In an instant he was gone and Deirdre was left alone clutching a dagger and standing beside the great smoking beacon.

  “He’ll find me.” She told herself, remembering a game she and Teirnan used to play where he would track her scent to obscure parts of the forest. With a deep breath she turned and raced into the forest.

  Deirdre struggled through the underbrush of the dark forest. At one point she tripped over a fallen log, tearing her skirts and skinning the palms of her hands. Still she pressed on, faster and faster until the ache in her side made her gasp for breath.

  She searched for a hiding place in this unfamiliar part of the forest. There were no caves, or crevices that provided complete coverage. She searched for another hour, continuing further from the campsite, but moving at a slower pace now. Finally, she found a hollow at the base of a tree that was just large enough for her to crawl inside if she pulled her knees to her chest.

  Tucking her torn skirts around her for warmth, she rested her head against the wood and settled in to wait.

  The time passed like the slow drip of water from a leaky basin. The sliver of a moon continued to hang high in the night sky, limiting the frightened woman’s range of vision. As a result, each crack of a limb, or rustle of leaves caused Deirdre to sit at attention, trying to interpret the sounds around her.

  She began to hear the distinct sound of something padding around in circles. Could it be Teirnan? She wondered. A part of her wanted to call out his name and reveal her location, but then she remembered his words. She also remembered that, even if the noise was not made by a human, Skye and Cat had both recently had encounters with an aggressive pack of wolves.

  The sound grew closer and closer until it stopped suddenly. Deirdre held her breath as she listened with rapt attention. All was silent.

  With slow movements, careful not to make a noise, she leaned forward to get a better look outside of her hideout. She turned her head to the side and came nose to nose with an enormous bear with some sort of limp creature hanging from its jaws.

  With a scream she vaulted back into the hole, while the bear jumped back as if branded. It had dropped its mouthful at her feet, when it too had been startled by her sudden appearance.

  Deirdre squinted in the darkness, trying to make out the form on the ground.

  A grunt and a sigh sounded outside of the tree.

  “Toss me my kilt, Deirdre.” Teirnan’s voice sounded tired. She picked up what she now saw as a bundle of fabric and flung it in the direction of his voice. After a few moments of rustling, Teirnan crouched at the entrance of the hole and peered in at her cramped form. “Did you have to jump out at me like that?”

  “I’m sorry.” She grimaced.

  Teirnan thrust his hand toward her and, when she grasped it with her own, pulled her out into the cool night air.

  “How did you find that?” He examined the small space now that it was empty.

  Deirdre shrugged.

  He released a short breath, “Will you help me gather wood for a fire?” He had already turned away and started gathering kindling by the time she responded.

  “Are we not going back to the camp?” she asked, confused.

  “No. They packed up… heading back to the estate.” He snapped a large branch in two. “It’s too dark for us to travel without the lanterns so I told them to head on without us.”

  “Why aren’t they staying at the camp? Is someone hurt?”
She was not even helping him, merely following him around asking questions as he gathered what was needed for a fire. He did not seem to mind.

  “Bertham lost an ear and Hammond took a sword through the leg. If they get him to the surgeon in time they might be able to save the limb.”

  “And… everyone else?” she asked, her eyes raking over him in search of injuries.

  “All fine. The McKinnons are a persistent bunch but they aren’t the most skilled of warriors, especially when matched against a nine foot bear.” He chuckled to himself as he formed the supplies into a pile and pulled a striker from his sporran.

  As the flames flickered to life and illuminated his face, Deirdre felt certain for the first time that he was unharmed. A cool highland breeze blew through the trees and she stepped closer to the growing warmth of the fire. Teirnan stood and gestured for her to come closer.

  “Come warm yourself,” he threw an arm over her shoulder as the both stared into the flames. “It’s been a long night for both of us.”

  Surprisingly, Deirdre did not feel uncomfortable with the action. Somehow, the companionable gesture suited the moment as the pair stood alone in the woods preparing to face the night ahead. Her eyes began to grow heavy and she allowed her head to drop against his shoulder, the details of the fire blurring as her vision glazed with exhaustion.

  They stood there for a long moment, until Teirnan dropped his chin atop her head. In an instant, the air felt thick and Deirdre was no longer tired. She had to fight the instinct of her arms to wrap around his waist and hold him against her. At the same time as she resisted, she felt the urgent need for stability, as if without his strength she would be unable to stand at all.

  With a huff she gave in to the action, linking her hands around him and allowing herself to lean into his embrace.

  “I’m glad you are safe.” Her voice was a mere breath of a whisper and yet somehow the words were harder to speak than even the loudest exclamation.

  She could hear his heart pounding against her ear. Or, was that her own? Either way, when his fingertips cupped her chin and raised her face toward his, she did not resist.

  “I’m glad that you are.” He replied. The final word was spoken against her lips as his mouth dipped to meet her own.

  For years, Deirdre had tried to convince herself that the passion she remembered was an exaggeration, a figment of her romanticized memory but, she realized now that even her memories downplayed the reality. She sank into his kiss, turning her body more fully toward him and pressing their torsos together. Her hands curled into the shirt at his back as if she needed to hold on to something solid lest she be swept away in a storm of passion.

  One of them groaned, though Deirdre could not have said which.

  The result was instantaneous. Teirnan’s hands on her shoulders held her firm as he stepped resolutely away from her. With short, ragged breaths he held her at arm’s length. Finally, as if unable to decide whether to push her away or pull her back toward him, he dropped his hands to his side, turned, and took purposeful strides into the darkness.

  Deirdre sank to her knees and gathered her skirts around her. All of a sudden the fire did not seem quite as warm as a moment before. She pulled her knees to chin, hugged her body with her arms, and stared into the flames as if there were answers to be revealed.

  As short while later, Teirnan returned. The great, brown bear lumbered in to the clearing and, with a heavy sigh, curled himself around her shivering form. Deirdre understood the gesture for what it was. Teirnan was offering warmth for the night, through the safety of his non-human form. He did not want to talk, nor risk a repeat of their passionate kiss. It was simple, a barrier between them that very clearly prevented her from viewing him as a man.

  Deirdre leaned into the billowing fur of his stomach. His head curled at her feet, had eyes firmly closed. He was not sleeping, she could tell from his breath, but he had retreated from her in the most effective way possible. Not for the first time, Deirdre wondered what reason Teirnan had of his own to be so set against her.

  In the following weeks, Deirdre kept busy in the small farming community outside of the estate. She found plenty of tasks to keep her busy and, more importantly, far away from the main house.

  Despite her active schedule, Deirdre could not turn her mind away from the night in the forest. Her mind was dizzy with questions that refused to be answered. All day long, thoughts of Teirnan’s response plagued her. What reason had he to pull away from their lustful joining as if he needed to protect himself from her? Deidre had never been disloyal to their love. If Teirnan had been surprised that she had discovered his infidelities, it was not reason enough that he should hold a grudge against her.

  Deidre searched her memories for a moment when she might have provoked his anger. In recent years there were many. Both of them had taken any subtle opportunity to jab at their opponent. But, as she looked back on the day of her departure, she remembered that her lover was already fiercely upset with her. Deirdre had not cared in a moment when she wanted nothing more than to be rid of him, but now she wondered what purpose he had. Still, she could not bring herself to approach her husband for an answer.

  She found herself taking long walks on the property, enjoying the isolation as she attempted to organize her thoughts. Each day, as she ambled through the fields, she found herself trekking nearer and nearer to the cave that housed their secrets that fateful summer.

  On the day that she finally gathered the nerve to approach the mouth of the cave, the summer sun hung high in a clear sky. Deirdre stared at the small opening. It seemed like such a perfect haven, a lover’s paradise, untainted despite the fact that it was the embodiment of her worst nightmares.

  With shoulders squared and chin held steady, she ducked into the cavern to see what lay inside. What she found was almost laughable. The empty rock formation had once seemed romantic with its pale lighting and moss covered ground. Now, she realized that it was nothing more than a damp hole with stale air and, despite opening up to an impressive internal height, the distinct feeling of overcrowding.

  She chuckled as she realized that what a youth in love perceives is a far cry from reality.

  “I guessed that this is where you were heading.” The deep voice behind her echoed against the stone walls. Deirdre took a deep, steadying breath before turning to face her husband.

  “You followed me.” It was not a question.

  “I saw you leave the village and the women said that you do the same every day.” His tone was clearly wondering if she visited the cave daily.

  “This the first that I’ve been here.” She admitted.

  Teirnan’s gaze swept the cave and a half smile spread across his face. “It has been a long time for me as well.”

  “I should be going.” Deirdre made a move toward the entrance but stopped short, not wanting to pass too near the man standing at its center. Already she felt her breath coming with difficulty, his nearness making her shiver and the desire to escape resulting in a heart that pounding painfully in her chest.

  His eyes swept once more around their hideout, clearly remembering all of the events that took place in its darkened shadows. He turned toward her, stepping forward to eliminate the remaining distance.

  “Do we truly have to keep fighting this?” His whisper was paired with the barest touch as his fingers swept a darkened curl away from her face.

  “I…” she searched for a response but found none. The truth was that Deirdre was having a difficult time remembering why she fought so hard to stay away from Tiernan. He was, after all, her husband.

  She caught her lip between her teeth, unsure of what to say or do. For a woman who was sure of many things, she now felt at a terrible crossroads.

  The action caught his eye. With a small groan his hands rose to her shoulders and pulled her against him. Teirnan’s lips crushed her own with a passion borne from years of frustration. There was no hesitation in Deirdre’s response as her arms wound around
his neck and she pressed herself fully into his body.

  It was as if all the years of anger dissipated and they had been transported back to the summer of their passion. Somehow, in this place so filled with memory, all of their reasoning and restraint seemed useless. She gasped against his mouth when his hands cupped her bottom and she felt his responding body against her hip. His hands were everywhere on her body, both remembering and discovering anew. His shoulders seemed broader than she remembered, his arms stronger, and his bearing now carrying the confidence of age.

  Deirdre felt a flutter of hesitation in her stomach. If she did not put a stop to their passions now, there would be only one conclusion. When his lips moved to tug gently at her earlobe, Deirdre made an instant, and perhaps selfish decision. She pushed aside all hesitation and gave herself entirely to the moment, the sensation, and the man before her.

  Deirdre cursed the layers of dress that lay between them. She felt suffocated by the corset and skirts that restricted her movement.

  With a flick of her wrist she unpinned his kilt and, with a final tug it, fell to the floor. Teirnan broke away for long enough to look at Deirdre, the question in his eyes needing the certainty of an answer. She nodded, and he required nothing more.

  As he pulled her gown over her head Deirdre realized that for the first time in years it felt as if all was right in the world. When his hands reached the laces of her corset, Teirnan cursed with a deep chuckle.

  “I’m not as familiar with these as I once was.” His hands on her waist spun her to face the nearby wall and Deirdre braced her hands against the stone as he focused on the intricate lacing.

  “You used to be able to untie laces with your eyes closed.” She teased as the corset fell to her feet.

  “Yes, well, we spent a lot more time practicing back then, didn’t we?” Again, he spun her, this time to face him once more.

  The lighthearted teasing only increased their need to rediscover each other.

  “What if we’re caught?” Deirdre whispered, the question more a habit than necessity.