Twice Upon a Soul

by Deborah R Stigall

  Taylor found herself mesmerized by Quinlan’s deep rich voice; the soft Scot’s burr caressing her senses with every word he spoke. The more she stared at him in the mirror the stronger the stirring became deep in the pit of her stomach. As he began fading from the mirror, she reached out to touch the glass, “Don’t go…not yet…how can I believe this is all real?”

  “You always seem to leave so quickly,” she whispered, tracing his fading features with her fingertips.

  “The powers willna’ allow me to stay with ye as long as I’d like,” he apologized with a sad smile. “Someday we shall be together forever…I promise ye…when all the memories have returned, and ye’ve found yer way to m’side.”

  Staring in confusion into the mirror, Taylor watched as Quinlan slowly faded away…returning once more to wherever he always came from, leaving her with even more unanswered questions. Raising a trembling hand to her cheek, Taylor found her face wet with tears. Whether they’d been shed in sadness or in frustration, she wasn’t sure…all she knew for certain was that she needed answers.

  ~*~

  Pushing her way through the doors of the Ranaud Bar & Grill, Taylor inhaled deeply. Her nose twitching in satisfaction, she reveled in the intoxicating aromas pervading the restaurant. Winding her way among the tables, she finally spotted Mattie and Drake in a corner booth, their heads close together in avid conversation; the world around them completely forgotten.

  Drake and Mattie raised their heads in unison, each smiling at Taylor as she approached. “Wait ‘til you see what Drake’s found!” Mattie exclaimed, excitedly patting her friend’s hand as Taylor slid into the booth beside her.

  Arching her brows in question, Taylor eyed Drake’s smug grin with a gnawing sense of foreboding; Quinlan’s words of warning still ringing in her ears, adding fuel to her leeriness of all that had happened so far. “So tell me, Drake…what have you found that’s gotten Mattie into such a dither?” she asked, waiving across the room to catch the waitress’ attention.

  Drake lifted an ancient leather bound book from the seat beside him and slid it across the table to Taylor. “I’ve marked the pages of interest…I believe you’ll be quite amazed,” he replied. Smugly settling back in his seat, he crossed his arms over his chest. Drake winked slyly in Mattie’s direction as he waited for Taylor to read.

  Taylor examined the edge of the book, finding the strip of red cloth Drake had placed between the pages for a marker. Opening the yellowed pages to the cloth, Taylor found herself once again staring into a faded sketch of herself. But beneath this picture, the faded caption read Taelhar de Mab. Gently running her finger along the faded musty pages, she slowly read the old English script, struggling through the ancient spellings and the occasional reversion to Gaelic.

  Glancing up from the page into the anxious faces of Drake and Mattie, Taylor frowned in frustration as the passages confused her even more. “Am I reading this right?” she finally asked, biting her lip in agitation. “This seems to read that the virgin in our legend was actually somewhat of an ethereal being…perhaps a faerie or a witch…given to the Druids by The Auld Ones or the Ancient Powers of some land lost in time?”

  “Exactly!” Drake exclaimed, causing several of the patrons at nearby tables to turn in their seats and stare. Lowering his voice, he continued his explanation, his face alight with excitement. “The Divine Ones or the Furies gave the maiden to the Druids as a babe…they raised her to fulfill their promised destiny.”

  Drake paused in his explanation as the waitress set glasses of water on their table; each of them quickly placing their orders to hurry her on her way. Picking up the conversation as the waitress walked away, Drake thumped the pages of the dusty book excitedly. “The Druids believed if they sacrificed the maiden before she had known or loved a man…a human from this earthly dimension… then all the powers of the Otherworld would be theirs…the four winds…the spirits of the four elements answering their every call.” Pausing to eye Taylor with a gleam in his eye, he unconsciously traced the water rings forming on the table. “But if the maiden knew a man…discovered the love of a mortal…all of the old ways would disappear to another dimension. The Auld Ones themselves would eventually return to dust as powerless as the day they were born.”

  Taylor leaned back against the seat, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Tell me the rest,” she stated with reservation. Wearily rubbing her throbbing temples, Taylor silently wondered how she’d ever gotten sucked into this strange unnerving mess that was so impossible to believe.

  At this point, Mattie couldn’t contain her exuberance any longer. “Taylor don’t you see…it’s you! You’re the maiden of the legend.” Mattie’s voice bubbled like a tiny waterfall, her sapphire eyes sparkling with excitement.

  Frowning as she shook her head in disagreement, Taylor struggled to keep her voice to a moderate tone. “What are you talking about, Mattie? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You’ve known me for years….and my family too.”

  Turning to Drake, Mattie winked conspiratorially as she nodded. “See? I told you she’d say that.” Turning back to Taylor, Mattie patiently explained. “First of all… Taelhar is pronounced T-a-y-l-o-r, in case you didn’t know. Secondly, look at the resemblance! It’s uncanny.”

  “But my dear Mattie…you seem to forget,” Taylor wryly noted. “I’m currently a twenty seven year old virgin, born in the Twentieth Century to two mortal parents in Kentucky.”

  “Hear me out,” Mattie interjected, raising her hand to silence Taylor. “Why would Quinlan search for you across the centuries, if you weren’t the gifted one he’d saved from sacrifice? Also, Taelhar disappeared in a bolt of lightening…you could’ve been reincarnated…your soul restored to a baby in the Twentieth Century…reincarnation has happened before,” she finished with a knowing smile.

  At this point the waitress arrived at their table, immediately silencing all conversation. Taylor idly picked up her fork, rearranging the placement of the lettuce leaves on her plate. The knot of uneasiness growing increasingly larger in the pit of her stomach, Mattie and Drake’s suppositions were quickly robbing her of any appetite she might have had.

  Eyeing Taylor closely, Mattie suddenly observed, “Taylor…you look awful. Are you all right?”

  “What do you think!” Taylor snorted, dropping the fork beside her plate as she gave up all pretense of eating. “I’m afraid all this supernatural mumbo jumbo is beginning to get to me.” She pushed her plate to the center of the table, then covered her face with her hands. Dropping her hands dejectedly into her lap, she leaned back against the seat. “Also, I’ve seen Laird Quinlan again,” she stated bluntly, her jaw tightening in aggravation. “Twice actually…I dreamt of him yesterday afternoon, then saw him in my bathroom mirror this morning.”

  Both Mattie and Drake stared at Taylor in stunned amazement. Forgetting his food completely, Drake leaned forward with interest. Caught up in the excitement of the mystery in their midst, he was oblivious to the fact that his shirtsleeve was in the process of siphoning away his soup. “That’s wonderful, Taylor!” he exclaimed, ignoring Mattie’s motherly attempts at mopping the soup from his sleeve. “What did he have to say?”

  Taylor closed her eyes, remembering word for word everything Quinlan had told her. “He wants me to come to him…but he’s forbidden to tell me how. Something about another curse from the Druids or some sort of Powers, if he cheats and tells me where he is.” She paused, opening her eyes as she watched Drake closely for his reaction. “He also said I should be wary of you, Drake…since you are a direct descendant of the Druids that banished him from this earth,” she finished plainly.

  Drake’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. “A direct descendant of the Auld Ones?” he repeated. “That’s absolutely amazing!” The gist of Taylor’s words finally reaching him through the revelation of his ancestry, Drake slowly shook his head as he glanced quickly from Mattie to Taylor. “But surely, Taylor…you do realize that I’d never do anythi
ng to harm you or Mattie….you do know that?”

  Smiling as she reached for her glass of tea, Taylor took a few sips before she responded. “Drake…I don’t think you’d hurt us…relax. Most of what this mysterious Laird says is usually quite cryptic…like the part about the memories returning and then we could be together forever. What could he mean by that?”

  Forehead wrinkling in concentration, Mattie sat silently shredding her paper napkin. “Maybe he was talking about Taelhar’s memories…a child from another plane of existence…raised by the ancient Druids…who knows what abilities she might possess?” Piling the shredded napkin in a puddle of water on the table, Mattie continued to muse. “I know you don’t believe in reincarnation…but maybe it’s not that at all…maybe you’re really Taelhar, sent to this time and this earthly realm of existence until you and Quinlan can finally be reunited.”

  Tapping her teaspoon impatiently against the table, Taylor frowned at her friend, “But you’re forgetting…I had a childhood. I remember being a kid for Christ’s sake! If I’d been sent to this time…why would I start all over again as a baby?”

  “Perhaps, so that you’d fit into this world better…not stick out to be found by the evil influences surrounding this place and time.” Drake interjected this idea with a shrug, tapping his finger thoughtfully against his chin.

  Shaking her head in frustration, Taylor rolled her eyes. “Okay…let’s say for the sake of argument that I am Taelhar.” She paused, frowning as she sorted through her thoughts. “Then how am I supposed to regain my memories…find my way to this Laird Quinlan and live happily ever after?”

  Ignoring Taylor’s sarcasm, Mattie turned to Drake. “What about hypnotism? Do you think that might work? I’ve read about cases where memories from past lives have been retrieved from the subconscious that way.”

  “Possible,” Drake observed, eyeing Taylor with interest. “However, the results would depend a great deal on her current frame of mind.” Upon this observation, Drake cleared his throat to emphasize the gist of his last statement.

  “And I suppose you two are also experts on hypnotism?” Taylor asked, eyeing Mattie and Drake both with irritation.

  “Oh…I’m not,” Mattie admitted cheerfully. “But Drake is…you see Taylor…Drake is actually a professor of psychology. He just prefers…shall we say…the paranormal aspect of the science.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Taylor muttered under her breath, as she stared down into her plate.

  Mattie and Drake both shot her a stern look of disapproval, causing Taylor to feel somewhat like the errant child at a parent/teacher conference. Spreading her hands in defeat, Taylor mumbled an apology. “I’m sorry…it’s just that all of this is so unbelievable…and it’s all happening when my life is in an upheaval…,” Her voice dropping to a barely audible whisper, “I guess I’d be willing to try hypnotism…if you think it might get us more information...and hopefully resolve this thing once and for all.” Studiously avoiding eye contact with Drake and Mattie, she nervously ran her finger along the rim of her glass.

  “We should do it where you’d feel more relaxed…comfortable. What about your place?” Drake suggested, hurrying to make Taylor commit before she changed her mind.

  “You’ll be there too…right?” Taylor asked Mattie, looking to her friend for support.

  “Of course,” Mattie nodded quickly, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”

  “All right then,” Taylor replied, drawing a deep breath to bolster her confidence. “Tomorrow night at my place…about nine o’clock? I’ve got some errands to take care of and some correspondence to catch up on at the museum. But I should be finished with everything by that time.”

  “Tomorrow night it is!” Drake agreed enthusiastically, sliding from the bench out of the booth. Offering Mattie his hand to help her ample bottom scoot along the seat, he reached over and gently patted Taylor on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Taylor…we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Smiling as he and Mattie turned to go, he didn’t hear Taylor’s response.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered under her breath, as she watched Drake and Mattie make their way to the door.

  Chapter Six

  Taylor glanced at the clock faithfully ticking away the minutes, wondering how she’d ever allowed herself to get talked into this. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach seemed to roll and grow heavier as she nervously wandered around the room; triple-checking the items Drake had instructed her to gather for the hypnosis session this evening.

  They were all still there…right where they’d been the last two times she’d checked. Tall beeswax candle, matches, small brass bell, and a small infuser to fill the room with the relaxing scents Mattie had promised to bring. She’d left the portrait of Laird Quinlan propped against the fireplace, rearranging the couch and chairs into a cozier semi-circle facing the painting. Neither Drake nor Mattie had suggested she do this…but instinctively she felt it might somehow help.

  Pacing around the room, she unconsciously wiped her damp palms on the sides of the loose flowing dress Mattie had insisted she wear. It was more of a soft cotton shift resting gently against her skin with none of the synthetic materials or dyes that would interfere with her natural aura…or so Mattie had said. Taylor had also left her hair undone, wearing the plain leather band Mattie had also given her to keep the errant strands from falling into her eyes. “I look like a flower-child from the sixties,” she muttered under breath to her reflection in the mirror.

  When the buzzer for the downstairs doorway sounded, Taylor jumped visibly, placing her hand to her chest in a feeble attempt to slow her heartbeat back down to a normal rate of speed. She rushed over to the dining room wall and pressed the intercom button. “Who’s there?” she asked. Pressing her forehead against the wall, Taylor closed her eyes in silent amusement. “Who do you think it is, you ditz!” she thought sarcastically to herself. She knew very well that it was Mattie and Drake awaiting her at the bottom of the stairs.

  “It’s us…Taylor,” Mattie’s voice floated cheerfully through the intercom speaker.

  Pressing the release button, Taylor silently counted to ten, giving Mattie and Drake enough time to get through the door. Absent-mindedly wringing one of her long flowing sleeves into a twisted knot, she anxiously waited their arrival at the top of the stairs.

  Her usually exuberant self, Mattie came bouncing up the staircase ahead of Drake, a large paper bag clutched to her chest. Eyes sparkling, she gave Taylor a friendly pat on the arm as she paused on her way to the kitchen. “Isn’t this exciting!” Mattie bubbled, her own dress flowing around her ankles as she bounced across the room.

  “Just wonderful,” Taylor noted dryly in response. She wondered if it was too late to back out and quickly began sorting through the wild excuses tumbling through her mind.

  Reaching the top of the stairs at his own sedate pace, Drake grinned at Taylor; shaking his head in amazement as his eyes followed Mattie’s disappearing form. “Her energy level is phenomenal! We could totally eliminate the use of fossil fuels if we could harness that power!” Drake nodded towards Mattie with this astute observation as he paused at the doorway to catch his breath.

  Her whirling thoughts temporarily redirected, Taylor smiled in agreement. “I know exactly what you mean…she often reminds me of a hummingbird.”

  Returning from the kitchen with a bowl of water in one hand and several small bottles of fragrant oils in the other, Mattie arched her brows in a mock expression of anger. “Are you two talking about me behind my back?” she asked, struggling to keep a look of amusement from registering across her face.

  “We’re not repeating anything we haven’t already said to your front, my love,” Drake quickly replied, crossing the room in one long stride to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

  At Drake’s display of affection, Mattie couldn’t contain herself; smiling broadly and wiggling all over like a puppy that had just received a treat. Gl
ancing at Taylor’s amused expression she asked, “Isn’t he just scrumptious?”

  “Oh absolutely,” Taylor agreed, folding her arms across her chest and shaking her head with a sigh.

  His smooth countenance visibly reddening in response to this adoration, Drake cleared his throat as he quickly crossed the room to examine the articles Taylor had laid out in preparation for the evening. “Perfect! You’ve gathered everything just as instructed.” Noticing the positioning of the chairs and the layout of the room, Drake smiled as he nodded approvingly. “The furniture placement should definitely help the flow of things as well…absolutely splendid!” Rubbing his hands briskly together in excitement, Drake bobbed his head at Mattie expectantly. “Proceed with your aroma therapy…my dear, then we should be able to get started.”

  Mattie nodded in agreement, filling the reservoir of the infuser with one of the vials of oils she had lined up along the table. As she plugged it in and it slowly began heating up, the gentle aroma of lavender began gradually permeating the room. “This will soothe everyone…help us all relax,” she explained, inhaling deeply in obvious enjoyment of the scent floating through the air.

  To the large bowl of water she had placed upon the table, Mattie added several floating candles that she retrieved from the depths of her seemingly bottomless pockets. As she lit the pale green orbs bobbing gently in the water, the air soon began filling with another fragrance…sharper and more stirring then the lavender; but floating along companionably and mingling with the scented oil.

  “These candles are a blend of rosemary, cedarwood, cinnamon and fir,” she explained as she noticed Taylor’s quizzical look. “This spicy aroma helps to motivate and energize the spirit,” she finished, heading back toward the kitchen to fetch more supplies.