“Aye, I would love that.”
Alister was waiting for them at the entrance. “Adam,” he said as they walked through the entrance door. “Our uncle is in shackles in the dungeons. I found him unconscious in the western part of the castle. What I really want to do is to throw him into the sea.”
“That won’t be necessary, Alister. Bring him up here,” Adam commanded.
“Aye.”
“I hit him with the hilt of my dagger,” Nellie confided in him as they waited for Bearnard’s appearance. “He tried to attack me as I escaped the dungeons.”
“Well, I hope that my suspicions about him being enchanted by Una are correct. Otherwise, I will probably want to throw him off the parapet as well.”
His uncle looked disheveled as he stumbled to kneel in front of Adam. A large bump protruded from the side of his head. He looked at Adam.
“Adam, I know not what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
Bearnard cursed under his breath. “I mean, I woke up in your cell with my head feeling like it was splittin’ in half, wonderin’ why the hell I was down there. Did I have too much to drink or sumthin’?”
“Do you not remember what happened last night?”
Bearnard furrowed his brows. “Er… no,” he said helplessly.
“Do you remember being married to Una?”
“What?” Bearnard guffawed. “Married to Una, your father’s Una?”
“Aye.”
“Why would I do a thing like that? That woman is crazy.” Bearnard shook his head. “That’s ridiculous. I took a vow when I was a lad that I would never marry. Why would I settle for one woman when I can find a new one in every city I visit, eh?”
Alister snorted with laughter. “He has a point there, Adam.”
Adam nodded. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “Uncle, go find a servant to fill a bath for you. You’re stinkin’ up my halls with your stench. I’ll explain things a bit more to you later.”
“Ach, perhaps I should stop drinkin’ then, if this is where the bottle will land me,” Bearnard muttered to himself as he wandered down the hall.
By the afternoon, life at Dunaid castle was back to normal. Bearnard left, saying that he was going back to his ship, leaving his estate for Tara, if she wanted it.
“Will you take it?” Adam asked Tara after their uncle departed.
“Well,” Tara began. “Maybe someday. But right now, if you don’t mind… I would like to stay at Dunaid for a bit and get to know my family more.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. You are welcome here as long as you like.”
Tara grinned. “Thank you! I’m so excited. Today, Nellie is going to show me how to throw knives.”
Adam laughed. “Well, she’ll be a good teacher, I assure you. And it’s a skill that could come in handy someday.”
Later that day, Nellie found Adam standing out on the parapet, staring out into the ocean. A few of his men below him were fishing off the side of the cliff. Already, they had a basket full of trout and pollock, some of which would be included in that evening’s meal.
Nellie walked up beside him. “I knew you were out here,” she said. “I thought you were finished sulking.”
“I’m not sulking, I’m thinking.”
“What is so serious to think about that you needed solitude up here in the parapets?”
“I am thinking about a very important matter that will change both of our lives,” he replied. “It’s very serious.”
“Oh, and what is that, pray tell?”
“Ahem,” Adam cleared his throat. “I suppose the time is right to marry you now.”
“What makes you say that?” Nellie said jokingly, although her heart did skip a beat at his words.
“Well, the sun is shining, you’re able to see again, and I don’t have a mad stepmother that wants to come after you, anymore.”
“Aye, that’s true,” Nellie replied, smiling. “Well, in that case, I accept.”
“When, then?”
“Beltaine? I would love to have the ceremony in the courtyard when the flowers have blossomed again. Although, I do have a lot of work to do in that regard to repair what Una destroyed.”
“Beltaine it is, then.”
He leaned forward and kissed Nellie square on the mouth. He then scooped her up in his arms and spun her around. Nellie laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned her affection with a passionate kiss.
“I can’t wait for you to become a Maxwell,” Adam told her.
“Aye, me neither.”
Epilogue
The grasslands around Dunaid Castle bloomed with the purple hue of heather on the day of Adam and Nellie’s wedding. The road to the castle was crowded with guests traveling from near and far to witness their sacred vows.
Tara, who had until then been closed off from society, was thrilled for the excitement. She stood impatiently by the windows, waiting for the first guests to arrive. It was her job, Nellie instructed, to greet the guests and guide them to their seats out in the courtyard.
The first guests were an old woman and very much older man, who walked into the entrance hall arm in arm. “How do you do?” Tara asked pleasantly. “I verra much like your dress, m’am. And sir, your breacan is such a lovely color! What are your names?”
The couple looked shocked by her demeanor. “We are the groom’s great aunt and uncle,” the woman remarked, looking Tara up and down like she was some strange creature.
“On the Maxwell side?” Tara asked hopefully.
“Aye…”
“Oh, that means you’re my great aunt and uncle. It is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Tara.”
“Indeed, Adam’s half-sister, was it?’ the woman said, looking uncomfortable. “We are very weary from the trip and would like to sit down.”
“Oh, right. Please follow me this way.” Tara’s face went red as she guided the old couple to their seats. Maybe she shouldn’t be so eager when speaking to these people, as it made them obviously uncomfortable, but she was ever so excited to meet her extended family!
Just as Nellie wanted, the courtyard was decorated in blossoms. The hawthorn trees were blooming white flowers that looked like fresh snowfall. A large wreath, made painstakingly by both Nellie and Tara, hung from between the two walls of the castle and was covered with flowers, ribbons, and sea shells. Adam stood by the Sanctuary, looking obviously nervous as he waited for his bride to walk down toward him to exchange their vows.
Once she could calm her enthusiasm a bit, Tara thought she did her job well. The guests seemed amicable, although she thought she caught a few uneasy glances in her direction. Her magic wasn’t strong enough at his point to hide her uncanny eyes, and she said so to Lachina as the last guest sat down in their seats.
“There are people who look at me strangely. I think it’s because they somehow know I’m half-fairy.”
“Ach, lass. They’re not noticin’ you because of your uncanniness. They’re noticing you because you are the bonniest lass here, save for the bride.” Lachina gave her a nudge and directed her gaze to a group of young men.
“Really?” she asked. Bonny, me? Nobody had ever said such a thing to her before. She looked again at those who were staring at her. The men were about her age, and when she lingered her gaze, they gave her a smile.
Oh, my.
She turned her head away from them swiftly. “But I do not wish to be courted by anyone right now,” she protested to Lachina.
“That’s good, lass,” Lachina said approvingly. “You have a few years of freedom yet before you need to think of such things. Enjoy them while you can.”
“Oh, I verra much will,” she said decisively.
She had much else to think about besides falling in love, like harnessing her magic, for instance. She needed to find someone to help her in that regard, but she had no idea where to look.
However, instead of worrying about that, she was set to enjoy the day. Nellie looked stunning as she re
vealed herself to Adam in her wedding dress. Although there had been whispers of controversy between the guests about the newlyweds (Tara’s sensitive ears could pick up the slightest of whispers), the guests remained cordial and the celebration festive.
Nellie had told Tara about how ostracized the Lyalls had become as a result of the curse Una set upon them. And although it had hurt Nellie, especially when she first arrived at Dunaid, Nellie told her that people were coming back around. There were even some people who had visited Nellie in the past month to tell her that they were ready to go back to living on the Lyall’s estate, long after abandoning their house for fear of being cursed themselves.
That, Nellie said, was a huge improvement.
So, some whispers were expected at the wedding, but the good tidings far outweighed the bad ones. The food was delicious, the music cheery, and the bride and groom were obviously very much in love, with eyes only for each other. As Nellie and Adam went up to their marriage chamber with the crowd cheering them on along the way, Tara sighed wistfully.
One day, she hoped to find such happiness... in her own way, of course.
Book of Lady Tara: Prologue
Prologue
Deep in the realm of the Unseelie Court was a dark forest filled with the dead.
It was where the Unseelie fairies left their deceased. They never bothered to bury them; instead, they left the bodies on the forest floor for the trees to consume. These trees were neither dead nor alive, but something betwixt and between. They fed off the dead like they would water, drawing their essence with their roots, which were bigger around than a full-sized man, thrusting out of the earth like serpents.
In this forest, trapped in the rooted confines of a tree, a creature lay. She was the only living creature around, except for the insects and worms that found their way through to the Unseelie Court centuries ago. As this creature was very much alive, the tree did not desire to consume her. Instead, it let her lay trapped behind its roots, waiting for her to expire. She seemed almost human in appearance—a woman, perhaps, save that her limbs weren’t quite the usual length and her skin was a luminous blue that lit up the forest around her like a lantern.
Some fairies would come and go as she lay trapped there, giving her a wide berth. They knew who she was. They knew if they stayed and interacted with her, she would not hesitate to enchant them. The leannan sith was one of the most powerful fairies of both the Seelie and Unseelie Court, and even the dark fairies were wary of her.
So, Una waited. She was patient. After living for centuries, one must learn to be patient. Even in the Unseelie Court, where there was darkness and decay, seasons still passed, as did time. She lost count of how many years went by as she stared out of her rooted cell, waiting for her chance.
At last, she found it!
A fairy in a humanoid shape came sauntering past her, a pack of his belongings slung over one shoulder and his arms so long they were practically dragging on the ground. He was hairy and ugly—not the type of fairy she would normally want to seduce—but she could not choose to be fastidious.
She turned herself into a human woman, a guise that most would deem beautiful. Her hair was raven-black and long as it trailed down her lithe body. Her eyes were the color of amber and pierced through the darkness, as bright as the moon. She called out to the boggart meekly,
“Oh, please, help me, sir!”
The boggart halted and turned suspiciously toward her. He had one eye missing and the other glowed sallow. Dark, matted hair clung to his head and face. His clothes were torn and he wore no shoes, revealing huge, hairy toes. Even from her confinement, far enough away from the fairy, she could smell his foul stench.
“Whattya want?” the boggart growled, his fingers tapping the axe that hung from his waist.
“Oh, I’m stuck here, you see.” Una exclaimed, trying her best to sound innocent and helpless. “I walked into this strange land and now, I am trapped here.”
“And whattya want me to do aboot it?” The boggart asked.
“If you please,” Una said demurely. “I see that you carry an axe by your side. If you cut away these roots that entrap me, I would be in your debt. My father is a king in the human realm, you see. He would pay you a handsome reward for savin’ me.”
“A handsome reward,” the boggart repeated. He licked his lips as though tasting the words.
“Aye, if you help me. My father is the richest man in all of Scotia.”
With his hand on his axe, the boggart took a step toward her, then stopped. He narrowed his one good eye. “What if yer lyin’?”
Una shook her head. “All I want is to escape this realm an’ go back home to my family. If I am lyin’, you can kill me. You have the power to, aye? You seem like a big, strong, powerful fairy.”
The boggart smiled, revealing a set of pointed, gapped teeth. His eye glazed over as Una’s magic worked through him. “Aye, I am strong,” he said proudly.
“Well, prove it to me by usin’ your axe to save my life.”
“Aye.”
He worked mechanically as though he was in a trance, swinging his axe at the hardened roots. The old tree groaned angrily as the roots flew apart. Una was able to move her arms first, then her legs. “Hurry up!” She hissed at the creature. All the patience she cultivated throughout the years was now gone. She was free.
She was finally free.
When the last of the restraining roots broke apart, she leapt out of her confinement with enough spring that she hovered for a moment in the air, her true form revealed once again. The boggart stared at her dumbly, the axe slipping from his fingers.
“Oy, yer not a human,” the boggart exclaimed. Consternation made his face even uglier. “Yer one of them leannan sith, ain’t you? You tricked me!”
He made to grab his axe, but Una was quicker. It was in her hands before he could even reach out for it and she immediately sent the blade through his neck. The boggart stumbled back and crumpled to the ground, dead.
“What an ugly breed of fairies,” Una muttered. She dropped the axe beside the boggart and brushed her hands together. No, she didn’t have to kill the boggart, but she’d been fuming so long in her prison that she had to do something to release her anger. The boggart was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In her true leannan sith form, Una was almost as tall as the trees as she walked out of the Unseelie forest. She stopped at a standing stone that guarded the forest entrance and frowned at it. The surface was bare, whereas she expected it to be carved with various runes. That could only mean one thing: the portal to the standing stone at Dunaid Castle was destroyed.
Of course, her daughter would be smart enough to have it smashed to pieces to keep Una from escaping. But there were many other portals in this realm, which meant many other ways for her to go back to the world of men and seek her revenge on all who wronged her.
She thought for a moment. It had been almost a century since she had walked this land, so it took her a moment to remember the next closest portal. It was by the Unseelie castle, home of the dark fairy Queen, whom she fell out of favor with. She had to be careful if she were to get near to the castle.
After insulting the Queen a century ago, she had been banned from the Court. She would become imprisoned again if the Queen’s fairies found her wandering near the castle. These royal fairies were not able to fall victim to her enchantment magic, unlike the lowly boggart.
Her true form was too much of a distraction, so she transformed back into her human form. Which was just as well; she would have to get used this form again if she were to go back to Scotia. As she neared the castle, she pressed her back against the wall as a few fairies walked by her. The portal was just around the corner, in the outer gardens of the castle premises. She needed to just make one sprint for the portal, whisper the incantation, and then she would finally be gone from the Unseelie Court.
When she was sure no one else was nearby, she made her escape. The standing stone stood ta
ll and was surrounded by a dark pool of water. She waded into the water, moving slowly as her skirts became heavy. When she reached the stone, she rested her hands on the smooth surface, whispering a few words in the dark tongue of the Unseelie. The stone lit up, the runes converged, and the ground opened below her feet.
No!
Before she fell through the opening, she heard a voice, familiar, so much like her own. “Tara?” she whispered, then laughed.
No!
“Oh, don’t worry, Tara. I’m coming for you, too.”
The water sucked her up like a whirlpool, then she was gone.
Book of Lady Tara: Chapter 1
December 1355
Dunaid Castle, Scotland
Tara Maxwell woke with a start. Her bedclothes were dampened from sweat and her hair was wild, having escaped from its tightly-coiled braid sometime in the night. She sat up, breathing heavily, her heart feeling as though it was about to burst from her chest.
She blinked a few times as she pushed her hair away from her face, remembering where she was. The morning light seeped into her windows. Downstairs, she could hear the routine of the servants and her clansmen starting their day.
Was it just a terrible dream?
Tara rubbed her head with her hands and swung her legs over the bed. She took a cup from her bedside, dipped it into the water basin, and drank deeply. The cool water soothed her dry throat and she tried to calm herself. Ach, but she needed more than that. She pushed her window open and let the chilled, salty wind blow into her room, making her shiver and come back to herself.
“M’lady, are you awake?” The call came from Bridget, her maid and very good friend. She was probably waiting worriedly by the door, hoping that Tara did not oversleep.
“Aye, I’m awake, Bridget,” Tara said. “You may come in.”
“My, it’s cold in here,” Bridget exclaimed as she opened the door and walked in, holding fresh clothes in arms.
“You look surprised,” Tara remarked as her maid set her clothes on a chair and quickly closed the window.
Lady Nellie: Highland Magic Series (Scottish Paranormal Romance) Page 19