by Sy Walker
“Who are you, lass?” he said. “And who’s that slung over yer horse?”
“This man helped me in the forest. He told me to seek out the village of the Artos.”
The warriors exchanged nervous glances, yet recognition lit the eyes of the oldest among them.
“You’re Alisa MacGregor. The Chieftain’s daughter,” he said.
Alisa swallowed roughly. “I am. And this is Logan Allaway of the Artos Clan. Would ye be them?”
The old grey beard jumped from his horse and moved to get a better look at her passenger.
“Ack, Logan, what have ye gotten into?”
“We were attacked by wolves,” Alisa said. “He saved me.”
The old man eyed her suspiciously. “Did he now? In what way, I wonder?”
She glanced at the other warriors. “In a way perhaps we best nae speak of outdoors.”
He nodded and placed a gentle hand on Logan’s forehead. “Lads, young Miss Macgregor is our guest.”
* * * * *
Alisa stood by as the warriors lifted Logan from his horse and carried him inside a squat peat house in the middle of the small village. She followed them inside and did her best not to get in the healing woman’s way as she examined his shoulder. He lay on a bed of straw. His face was so pale, and the men confirmed his skin was cold as a bottomless loch.
“It’s deep,” the healing woman said in a wavering brogue. “Who wrapped his shoulder this way?”
The warriors turned to Alisa. She cleared her throat and said, “I did. I worried he’d bleed to death.”
“He would have. Very lucky you thought of it. Who are ye, deary?”
One of the warriors leaned in and whispered in the old woman’s ear. She smiled and said, “The marriage is off, I take it.”
“It would seem so,” Alisa said.
Nodding, the old woman went to a dusty, moldering cabinet. She opened the doors with a creak and withdrew a small bottle filled with a deep and murky liquid.
“Hold open his mouth,” she said.
One warrior, taller than the rest, did as she asked. The healing woman unstoppered the bottle and dumped half down Logan’s throat. She gestured for the warrior to shut his mouth then pinched his nose closed until she was satisfied Logan had swallowed.
“Will he be all right?” Alisa asked.
“Time will tell, deary. Though I do believe he’ll be awake and talking sometime in the next few days. Logan’s very lucky to have had you there. The thread between life and death is so fragile some dinnae even know it’s there.”
The door banged open and the grey bearded warrior strode into the peat house. He got a look at Logan and asked the old healer if there was anything she needed.
“Not for now, Drew,” she said. “Magic cannae be rushed.”
“Magic?” Alisa said.
“Indeed,” said the grey beard. “Not magic of spells and incantations but of the wild things that grow all around us. Tell me, lass, why is it Logan urged you to come? He’d not have insisted if it were only his life in danger.”
“That’s true. It wasn’t. Logan saved me from…”
Sensing her hesitancy, the healing woman shook her head.
“Ye may as well trust Drew, deary,” she said. “It seems as though yer short on friends.”
Alisa had concluded as much. She drew a strand of golden yellow hair from her eyes and divulged everything to them.
“Clan Campbell meant to murder me and the Earl of Shrewsbury. The Earl may have gotten away, but I don’t think so. We’ve always known they despised us for our loyalty to the crown, but until now, we’d thought them incapable of such aggression. Logan made it appear as if I was dead, so as far as I know, my family is grieving deeply even as we speak.” A wellspring of remorse and regret filled her heart. “I wish I could send word to them. But Logan said Father wouldnae be safe if they knew I was still alive.”
The old warrior, Drew, eyed her and scratched his beard. The sounds of the village called to them. There were families here, which surprised Alisa. She heard the mooing of the shaggy highland cows and the murmur of villagers as they went about their day.
“It’s quite the story,” Drew said. “I wish I could say we also believed Clan Campbell harmless, but they’ve been pillaging our lands for several month now. I’m surprised they managed to pull off this attack without us knowing about it. Believe me, lass, if we had, we’d have warned yer father.”
“Who are you?” she asked. “What is this place? How can Logan…?”
Drew smiled. “Shift. How can he transform into a bear?”
Alisa nodded.
“Perhaps ye should show her, Drew,” the medicine woman suggested, her face grave and serious. “We cannae stay hidden forever.”
* * * * *
Alisa followed drew to a ramshackle hut built over an old burial mound, otherwise known as a cairn. The druids of old were said to yet dwell beneath the sloping piles of earth, their worldly remains shelters for their dark magic and eager souls. Stopping outside the door to the hut, Drew withdrew a large bronze key. Pausing, he said, “Lass, what will ye do once you have yer answer? Will you tell yer father of Logan?”
“Not if he doesn’t want me to,” Alisa responded.
“You’d keep a secret like that? You’d be strong enough to do it?”
“I’m a woman of my word. My Father taught me to be so. Why should anyone need to know what Logan’s capable of?”
This seemed to satisfy Drew, though she thought she still detected uncertainty. He jerked open the door and gestured for her to enter. Something dark and pungent wafted over her, and she peered inside.
“It isn’t just Logan, is it?” she said. “You can do it too.”
“Please, enter.”
She stepped inside and waited for Drew to close the door. At the back of the shack a narrow tunnel had been dug into the side of the cairn perhaps half a man tall and just as wide. The smell of earth and decay filled her nose, and she felt her stomach twist. There were dark things lurking in the burial mounds of Scotland. Every young lass and lad knew that.
“Miss MacGregor, we all deeply regret leaving your father’s service,” Drew said. “The chieftain always treated us well and looked after our interests. I wish we could help him now. His enemies are much deadlier than he realizes.”
“Why can’t you? Why are ye so isolated and hidden from the world?”
The old warrior’s eyes grew sad. He took a torch from its sconce beside the door and sparked a flint against a stone. Light filled the shack and tunnel as the torch flared to life.
“Watch yer head, my lady,” Drew said, stooping low and passing into the cairn.
Alisa did her best to suppress a sudden trill of fear and then followed. The tunnel was perhaps only two meters long. Pungent earth and mud dropped onto her in small clumps. Upon entering the cairn, she saw it was bowl-shaped, the length and width of a small boat. Ancient, semi-fossilized wood could be seen at anchor and support points, and a large oak table rested in the center, covered with jewels and gold that glinted in the flickering yellow light.
“Who was buried here?” Alisa asked.
“The first of our kind. It’s said he towered over men and had the strength of the gods. He had a woman he loved deeply, but she was taken by another. He came to this glen in search of the druid gods of old. He found them.”
Alisa spotted a rolled parchment on the table and moved to pick it up. Unfolding it, she discovered a long and storied lineage chart. Hundreds of names, some of which she recognized from local history and lore.
“There are so many of you,” she said.
“Aye, though many less than there were perhaps even a hundred years ago. We’ve served the chieftains of this region for centuries, and we never made a mistake when it came to concealing our true nature.”
“It’s true, then. It isn’t just Logan.”
“No, lass, it’s not,” said Drew. “And perhaps it’s no coincidence Logan was the
re to help you.”
Alisa rolled the linage chart back up and gently placed it on the table. She eyed the riches, but not out of lust. The village was wealthy, which no one on the outside would know. Whatever else they may be capable of, the bear shifters of the Artos Clan were perfectly well off.
“What happened, Drew? Why are ye no longer with my father?” Alisa asked.
Drew hung his head. “Lass, he discovered what we are. We had no choice but to reveal ourselves. Perhaps you don’t remember, but about seven or eight years ago, his life came under threat by a local warlord who’d thought it would be funny to kill a chieftain of a high Scottish clan.”
“I do remember. It was a frightening time … You were the ones who protected him, weren’t you?”
“Aye. He’d been forced to travel to Glasgow on a lordly matter and his carriage was waylaid outside Cumbernauld. I was there, as was Logan and several more of our kin. Your father greatly valued our skills on the battlefield, so he often kept us near. There were too many for us. The warlord was an upstart, but he was a bloodthirsty little man who did not die well.”
Drew’s face was tight and remorseful, as if the memory caused deep pain.
“We were forced to shift,” he said. “Your father’s men were outnumbered two to one. With our strength and mighty jaws, we gave those bastards a bloody good go. We saved your father, and he was very grateful, but he knew as well as we did we could never return to Castle MacGregor.”
“Why not?” Alisa said. “If he depended on you so much, why didnae he encourage you to stay?”
“Our presence would make him a target, which would in turn endanger your entire family. You must understand that throughout the centuries, whenever the outside world discovered what we are, there’s been bloodshed and strife without end. Human beings are not capable of accepting what they don’t understand, not unless they’re exceptional and have gathered to themselves love and compassion. Your father’s enemies would hunt us for sport, and then they’d go after him and everyone he loved. They’d call it devilry, witchcraft, and not a soul alive would disagree with them.
Alisa shook her head. Sudden tears sprung up, though she fought to keep them from falling.
“His enemies are after him now,” she said.
“Aye, it would appear so.”
“Where is he? The first of your kind? Where are his bones?”
Drew shrugged. “Plundered long ago. He made no secret of his nature, and it cost him everything in the end. A lesson for us all.”
“What should I do, Drew? How can I keep everyone safe from harm?”
He set the torch in a nearby sconce and dug around on the table for a short sword and glinting bronze shield. Handing them to her and gaining a look of caution, he said, “If I were you, lass, I’d learn to fight.”
Chapter Five
Logan finally woke up four days later, by which time Alisa had already begun learning the warrior ways of Clan Artos. She was neither strong nor sure-footed, but she was a quick study, and her father had insisted on grace and balance training, which meant she had more control over his muscles than most beginners. She dueled with Drew in the hemlock beside the healer woman’s peat house.
“Watch yer feet, girl!” Drew bellowed. “If I can catch ye on your heels so easily then so can Campbell assassins!”
He swung at her right guard, and though she managed to block the attack, she slipped on the grass and crashed down on her rear end.
“Ouch!” she said.
“What did I tell ye? Yer footing is everything, lass.”
Alisa scowled at Drew and rubbed her sore spot. The morning was crisp and bright with a nip in the air that seemed to make the world come alive. A light snow had fallen the night before, and the ground was still wet where the majority had melted. Alisa climbed to her feet and lifted her sword in an initiation of the guarding stance Drew had taught her.
“Again,” she said.
“No, lass, that’s enough for today.”
“Again!”
“You’ve collected enough bruises already. We must bend and remold the body, but we mustnae—”
Alisa attacked at full force. She caught drew off guard and managed to drop the sword from his hand with one swift blow. Grinning, she drove her sword into the ground and heaved an exhausted sigh.
“I cannae help my father if I cannae fight,” she said.
“You’ll learn to fight,” said Drew. “You’ve got to give the training time. Now do me a favor and rest a while.”
His eyes locked with something over her shoulder and he grinned. Alisa turned and spotted Logan leaning against the house with his arms folded. He was smiling at her, though he still looked pale and weak. Honestly, as close as he’d come to death, it was surprising he’d managed to get out of bed.
“Logan,” Alisa said.
“Ye look good with a sword,” he said. “Ye’d have made a fierce shield maiden.”
Alisa blushed.
“Good to see ye up and about, lad,” said Drew. “If young Miss MacGregor hadn’t been there, ye’d be singing with the angels.”
Logan nodded. “I know. The healer told me everything. I think I owe you my life, Alisa.”
Despite herself, she giggled. “Think nothing of it. You did the same for me.”
The two men exchanged a glance, and then Drew cleared his throat and stooped to pick up their shields and practice swords.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” he said. “Think the missus may be needing me at home.”
As he passed Logan, he clapped the younger man on the shoulder and began whistling an old chanter tune. When he’d gone, Logan gestured to see Alisa’s sword and she brought it over. Taking it from her, he swung it a few times to feel it’s heft.
“It’s a fine blade,” he said.
“Aye.”
“Do you mean to help your father?”
“I do.”
“Alisa, ye cannae—”
“Don’t try to talk me out of it,” she said. “I’ve made up my mind and I’m learning to fight just like one of your warriors.”
“And what if they find you first? What if they’re still looking for you?”
She folded her arms and frowned. “You said you covered our tracks.”
“I did. But Clan Campbell are no fools, and neither are the men they pay to track people down. They have spies everywhere. Someone may have seen you. You need to stay indoors and keep to yourself. Try not to attract attention.”
“You think someone in this village is working for them?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “And until I do, I don’t—”
He clutched his shoulder and doubled over. Grunting from the pain, he leaned against the Pete house. Alisa touched his side and did her best to help hold his weight. The feel of his muscles under his shirt made her quiver in sudden excitement. Logan seemed to sense a certain electricity as well, because he lifted his head and locked eyes with her. There was a beauty there in that deep blue gaze, a kind of natural warmth and intensity that caused her body to respond. And there it was again, that sweet, musky scent. She’d noticed it on some of the other villagers as well, but for some reason, the way this man smelled attracted Alisa deeply and profoundly.
“Lass,” he said, “ye know all about me now. All about us. There’s something I haven’t told you.”
He moaned and fell to his knees.
“Logan, you’re still not recovered,” she said.
“No, it’s all right. I just need to rest. Lass, if ye could help me back to bed.”
She supported him as he climbed to his feet. Allowing him to drape his arm over her shoulders, she bore his weight and walked him back inside.
“You’re a good woman. A good woman,” he said.
She helped him into bed and poured a fresh cup of water from the pitcher on the small cupboard by the fire pit. He drank deeply and closed his eyes a few moments, telling her he felt better and urging her to sit.
“Lass,” h
e said, “my people are noble and strange. When we form relationships with others, they often last a very long time, and the bond that can form is often strong and difficult to break.”
“Why are ye trying to tell me, Logan?” she asked.
He hesitated, put a hand over hers. The touch was electrifying. She felt hot all over and found herself gazing into his eyes.
“Lass,” Logan said, “have ye noticed anything different about me? About the way I…?”
“Smell?”
He nodded. “So it’s true. We’re bonded.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“A shifter, when he meets his bond-mate, the soul he’s meant to spend the rest of his life with, there’s often a kind of unexplained spiritual attraction that manifests itself as...”
She drew a hand to her mouth. “The smell.”
He sat up with effort, leaned in and gently placed his hand on her cheek. “It’s the way we Artos folk can draw to us the purest of spirits. It’s means you’re a good human being, Alisa MacGreggor, an eternal soul that’s lived a hundred lives of worth and honest deeds. Yer meant to be mine, lass, and I am meant to be yours.”
She wanted to argue, to deny what he was telling her. Nobody had ever spoken to her like this before, said the things he was saying. Yet though his words seemed strange they felt true, and in an instant of dawning clarity she realized her spirit was far older and wiser than the eighteen years she’d lived on earth. The deeper things, those unspoken truths, they dawned on her, and she understood Logan Allaway was the man she’d been waiting for her entire life.
He said nothing to her as he leaned in for a kiss. Love and heat flooded her being, and her body awoke to the possibilities of his touch. He pulled her into bed with him, and as they cradled each other and continued to kiss, it seemed to her she’d known him her entire life. He grinned at her and slipped his hand up her thigh, under her dress, pressing his skilled fingers lightly against her, rubbing gently and filling her with a hot, urgent longing. She could feel it as his arousal began to take root, and he rubbed the length of himself against her as he stripped her dress off, kissing her wildly, passionately. She tried to be careful of his arm, but she had wanted him for so long that they were losing all sense of propriety.