by Jennae Vale
“I’d be happy to spar with you, Alec. Angus could give us both some pointers. I hear he’s pretty good at this,” Dylan teased.
“Aye. I am,” Angus answered, sizing Dylan up. “I think that would be a fine idea. Don’t ye agree, Alec?”
“What?” Maggie felt like she might vomit at the thought of sparring with Dylan. “I…”
“Don’t worry, Alec. I won’t hurt you, I promise,” Dylan said, sounding quite sincere.
She could hardly speak, so Maggie took a stance opposite Dylan to let him know she was willing, all the while eyeing Angus in disbelief. Dylan stood opposite her and Angus checked their spacing and foot placement. After a few minor corrections and some direction on what he wanted them to do, Angus said, “Well, have at it, then.”
They circled each other, keeping their distance. Maggie stumbled over a rock and almost fell, but she caught herself quickly, not allowing Dylan time to take advantage of her misstep. They continued, Maggie making a few tentative swipes with her sword and Dylan handily deflecting them. Next Dylan came at her, but Maggie had been calculating where his next move would come from and she was pleased to discover she’d read him like a book. He no sooner lunged her way than she blocked his move and used her momentum to spin away and place her sword at his throat.
“Excellent,” Angus called. He then pointed out where Dylan had gone wrong and showed him what he could’ve done differently.
“Thanks,” Dylan said, looking slightly embarrassed. “I’d like to try that again.”
A sheen of sweat was causing Maggie’s clothes to cling to her. She pulled the fabric away from her body hoping no one would notice her curves. Where the sweat was making her uncomfortable, on Dylan it was an added bonus. Maggie was determined to focus on Dylan’s eyes, rather than his beautiful upper body. She was so busy thinking about how good he looked that she missed his next move and before she knew it, found herself flat on her back on the ground, the tip of Dylan’s sword at her chest.
“That was good, Dylan,” Angus remarked. “Explain to me why you think that worked.”
“I was following Alec’s eyes and could see he was no longer paying attention. I tried to take advantage of that moment.”
“And it worked. It may not always. Ye should try to observe everything about yer opponent. Eyes, stance, where their sword is and then what will be their next move. Ye’ll almost never find yerself up against an opponent who is simply not paying attention.” Angus shook his head in disappointment at Maggie.
She was terribly embarrassed. Her cheeks were flaming. Both Angus and Dylan knew she had been distracted. She only hoped that at least Dylan had no idea what was distracting her.
“I’m sure ye’ll do better next time, Alec,” Angus said.
“I hope so,” she responded.
“Shall we do some close work with yer dirks,” Angus suggested.
“I could really use some help with that,” Dylan said as he put his sword aside and took out his dirk.
Maggie turned to her uncle and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Is there a problem, Alec?” Angus asked.
“No, sir,” she answered, even though she thought it was going to be a big problem.
“Hold yer dirk the way I showed ye. Ye’ll have more flexibility if ye hold it underhand.” Angus demonstrated with his own dirk clasped in his fist and pointed down away from his hand. Dylan and Maggie did as he instructed and then turning to each other began the same tentative dance that had started their sword lesson. “I’d like ye, Dylan, to be in defensive mode. Let Alec attack ye and show me how ye’d defend against him.”
They got started and right from the beginning, Dylan was good at defending against Maggie’s attacks. “Alec, how can ye overcome those defenses?” Angus questioned.
“I can use my free hand,” Maggie said.
“Let’s see ye do it then,” Angus instructed. Maggie attacked Dylan with renewed energy and while he did his best to avoid her knife, Maggie made contact on more than one occasion.
“I’m glad we’re using practice dirks,” Dylan said. “I’m afraid I’d be dead by now.”
“Or badly wounded,” Angus agreed. “Let’s do the opposite now. Dylan you attack and Maggie you defend.” Maggie had learned a lot from the first go round and was quite good at defending. “Okay, now add yer dirk into it,” Angus said, sounding pleased. They continued on, until they were both out of breath. “That was well done.” Angus patted them both on the back. “Shall we work on our bows?”
“Can we have a minute to catch our breath?” Maggie asked.
“Aye. Why dinnae ye get some water and I’ll meet ye over by the targets.” Angus walked away, leaving Dylan and Maggie to rest a moment.
“You’re pretty good,” Dylan said.
“As are ye,” Maggie answered.
“It must be nice to have Angus as your teacher. He’s a great guy.”
“Aye. He is and I am lucky.” Maggie started walking towards the well and Dylan hurried to keep up.
“So, how do you know him? Angus, I mean.” Dylan asked as he dipped his cup in the bucket of water by the well.
Maggie did the same and took a long drink before answering. “He’s a friend of the family.”
She was purposely keeping her answers short, because she was uncomfortable disguising her voice. To her it sounded fake, but no one had questioned it and Dylan certainly didn’t seem to notice anything.
“You live in Glendaloch? I was wondering if ye knew Maggie.” He took another drink of water.
“Nae. I dinnae. I live in Edinburgh. I’ve been staying with Edna and Angus since just after Maggie left, so, nae I dinnae know her.”
“I don’t know what it is about you, but she sure doesn’t seem to like you,” Dylan observed.
“I dinnae know either,” Maggie said. Apparently, it was obvious to the others that there was some tension between her and Brielle. “Angus is waiting fer us.” She headed off towards the targets, knowing that Dylan would follow.
Maggie felt confident about her skills with a bow, so she let her competitive nature come out. She had great aim and hit the target dead center nearly every time.
“Wow! You’re pretty impressive with that bow, Alec.” Dylan tried his hand at it and while he wasn’t bad, he only hit the bull’s eye a time or two. On one of those occasions, Maggie took the opportunity to split his arrow with hers, causing him to throw his arms in the air in concession.
“You win! I can’t possibly compete with you,” Dylan said, clapping Maggie on the back. She wasn’t expecting it and it knocked her off balance.
Grabbing her and setting her back on her feet, Dylan said, “Sorry about that. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”
“How could ye not?” Maggie asked feeling flushed and barely recovering from the feel of Dylan’s hands on her. They’re truly beautiful hands, she thought, catching herself before he noticed her staring at them. Angus on the other hand, seemed completely aware of what was going on in his niece’s head.
“Alec, why don’t ye go rest up? Ye’ve worked hard today.”
“Aye.” Maggie walked away realizing that Angus had saved her from making a fool of herself.
DYLAN WATCHED ALEC WALK AWAY. He was experiencing the same, uneasy feeling that he’d met him somewhere before.
“Dylan?” Angus asked.
“Yeah, I’m sorry did you say something to me?” Dylan responded.
“I was wondering how ye were enjoying yer stay here and how ye were getting on with my niece,” Angus said.
“I love it here. This has been the best experience of my life. I’ve learned so much from Cormac and Cailin. They’re great guys.”
“And Maggie?” Angus asked.
Dylan realized he wasn’t going to get away without answering. But what could he tell Angus that wouldn’t sound insulting? “We’re getting to know each other. It’s been different here… different than it was in Glendaloch.”
“I see,
” Angus said, smiling.
Dylan was surprised by that. He’d expected him to be… well he wasn’t quite sure what he expected. Would Angus mind if his feelings for Maggie had changed? He had to know that they’d made a connection back in Glendaloch. Maybe he was happy that things had slowed down between them, because he seemed absolutely elated by Dylan’s vague answers.
“Thanks for the help today, Angus. I’ve been working with Cormac and his brother almost every day, but it’s nice to get a different perspective. I learned a lot.”
“Yer quite welcome, lad. I’ll see ye later on then.”
Angus walked off with the same huge grin on his face. “I thought he liked me,” Dylan muttered to himself.
CHAPTER 6
O ver the next few days, Maggie found herself fighting off Brielle’s attempts to harm her more and more regularly. She had to keep her guard up and remember to use the spell of protection whenever she was in Brielle’s presence. Not always an easy task, as Brielle had a habit of sneaking up on Maggie at the oddest moments. So far, she was aiming the majority of her magick at Maggie and she had, for the most part, left the others alone while she focused her attention on getting Maggie out of the way. That’s not to say that she wasn’t causing problems throughout the castle. In the grand scheme of things, they were just small problems, but to the residents of Breaghacraig, they were as annoying as the midges that pestered them when they ventured outdoors.
“Alec, would ye mind helping the boys mop up the water pouring down from Ashley and Cailin’s chambers, please?” Irene looked completely flummoxed as she came storming through the great hall. “I’m not sure where all that water is coming from!”
“Aye. I’d be happy to help,” Maggie said. Making her way to the stairs, she saw an unbelievable amount of water cascading down and several young boys with mops trying in vain to wipe it up. As fast as they were mopping, the faster the water was falling. Maggie ran up the stairs to the source of the flood and found a bathtub filled with water. Upon further examination, she noted a good size hole in the side and while water was pouring out through it, the water level in the tub had not diminished. She focused her intention on the tub and with a minimal amount of effort, she was able to plug the hole as if it had never even been there. Next, she used her magick to dry up the water in the bedchamber and the passageway leading to the stairs. When she was satisfied that the water had been stopped, she headed to the stairs where she found the boys looking extremely relieved that the waterfall that had been pouring down the stairs had stopped and they were finally able to make some headway in their efforts to clean up the mess. Maggie made it to the bottom of the steps and discovered Brielle staring at her, a malicious grin on her face, but before Maggie could open her mouth to speak she heard Mary caterwauling from the kitchen.
“Och! What have ye done here, Jenna?” Mary cried. “I’ve nae seen anythin’ like this.”
Maggie headed towards the source of the shouting and found Mary and Jenna surrounded by loaves of bread that had been set to rise. The only problem was, they had risen to ten times the size they should have and were slowly making their way across every surface in the kitchen.
“I cannae believe this,” Mary said in exasperation. “Ye are truly bad luck, lass. Ye always seem to be about whenever something goes wrong in me kitchen.”
“Mary, I don’t know what happened! You can ask Sophia. We made the bread the same way we always do. There was nothing in the bread that would have caused this to happen.”
“Dinnae speak to me of Sophia. She’s as cursed as ye are. I dinnae believe I want ye in me kitchen again!” Mary ran from the room with Jenna in hot pursuit.
Maggie took the opportunity to fix the mess that Brielle had undoubtedly created and when she left the kitchen, the loaves were back to normal and ready to be placed in the oven. Mary and Jenna passed her in the hallway, on their way back to the kitchen. Mary was waving her arms and going on and on about the bread and the mess in her kitchen. Jenna followed behind her, trying to get a word in edgewise. Maggie waited nearby, to hear the two women’s reactions as they entered the kitchen and saw the bread and kitchen looking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mary abruptly stopped speaking and from the sounds of it, Jenna ran straight into her back as she entered the kitchen and came to a standstill.
“I cannae believe me eyes,” Mary said. “Jenna, were the loaves not overflowing all over the kitchen when we left?”
“They were,” Jenna sounded just as confused. “This is weird. They shouldn’t have been overflowing in the first place and now it’s like nothing happened.”
“Strange things be happenin’ here in Breaghacraig, Jenna. I dinnae ken why, but someone is using magick. I feel it in me bones.”
Maggie listened as the two, obviously at a loss for words, began working together again in the kitchen.
“Well, let’s get this bread in the oven and hope nothing else happens before it’s baked,” Jenna suggested.
Satisfied that all was well in the kitchen, Maggie went back to the great hall, where Irene was filling Robert in on all of the odd happenings occurring around the castle.
“Alec,” Irene said. “Thank ye for helping the boys with the mopping. I see that ye got it under control a lot faster than I would have believed possible.”
“Yer verra welcome. I am here to help in any way that I can,” Maggie replied.
“Well, if I could ask one more thing of ye, lad,” Robert said. “Dylan is out trying to round up the horses that escaped the barn earlier this day. He could use some help. The stable boys are out with him, but there are many to catch and I believe they could use another pair of hands.”
“Of course. I’ll go right away.” Maggie wasn’t sure she wanted to be anywhere near Dylan. She wasn’t verra good at masking her feelings and she had to work extra hard at it when she was around him. It was a mixture of love, anger and jealousy, which overcame her whenever she saw him. Especially when Brielle was nearby.
* * *
IT WAS apparent that every horse in the stables had gotten loose and they had all fled through the open gates into the pasture surrounding the castle. They were obviously happy to be out and were running like the wind, bucking and crow hopping everywhere she looked. Dylan and the boys were approaching individual horses, ropes in hand. Every time they would get close, the horses would bolt away. Without caring what the others would think, Maggie stood perfectly still with her hands out towards the horses. She settled her mind and called to them. The entire herd of horses trotted her way.
“Alec,” Dylan called. “Be careful. They’re heading right at you.”
Maggie didn’t respond. She was focused on getting the horses to come to her and she had no time to worry about what would happen when they reached her. She only hoped they’d stop before they trampled her and much to her relief, they did. She spoke to them softly as Dylan and the boys ran over to her.
“Don’t frighten them,” she ordered. “They’ve stopped and now, if you don’t mind, I’ll head back to the stables with them.”
“That’s impossible. How are you going to get them to follow you,” Dylan questioned.
“You’ll see.” Maggie turned her back on the horses and speaking softly to them coaxed them into following her. She looked like the pied piper as the horses fell into line behind her and followed her back through the gate into the courtyard, where she turned and headed toward the stable. The doors were already open wide in anticipation of the return of the horses and Maggie walked down the center aisle, opening stall doors as she went. Each of the horses obediently entered their own stall as they came to them and Dylan and the stable boys closed and locked the doors behind them. Finally, the last horse was settled into his stall.
“Are you some kind of horse whisperer?” Dylan asked. He had one brow cocked over his beautiful, deep brown eyes.
“Let’s just say I have a way with animals,” Maggie answered, trying not to make eye contact with him. She got a
ll fluttery in the belly when he spoke to her, which was not good. She turned to walk away, but Dylan grabbed her arm firmly. The feel of his warm skin through the light material of her shirt got her mind wandering to places it shouldn’t.
“I’d say you have more than a way with animals, Alec. I’ve never seen anything like that. The boys and I were out there for more than an hour, trying to catch even a single horse with no luck and you walk out and stand perfectly still and they come to you. What’s your trick?”
“I have nae trick,” Maggie lied. It was her secret and she was not about to share it. “I must go. Irene may need me help.” She wrestled her arm out of Dylan’s grasp and attempted once again to walk away.
“Wait. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I haven’t had much chance since the other day, and I know you told me you don’t know Maggie, but it sure seems like you do. I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me about her. Anything Edna or Angus might have mentioned to you?” Dylan was watching Maggie intently, and she quickly glanced down, rather than risk giving herself away by mooning over him.
As usual, whenever she was anywhere near him, her heart began to race and she found herself hyperventilating. She concentrated on getting that under control. “Why do ye continue to ask me?” she snapped. “I’m afraid I dinnae ken much about yer Maggie. I’ve only just met her.” That wasn’t a lie. She had just met Brielle, but she did know more about her than she could safely share. Maggie wished she could show Dylan that she was the real Maggie, but she had been sworn to secrecy. Why, she still didn’t ken, but she hoped for Dylan’s sake that soon he’d understand the truth. “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I must go.” Maggie raced off toward the great hall. She hadn’t seen Brielle since the water incident and Maggie hoped that she was done causing trouble for the day. It was exhausting, continually trying to set things straight. At the last minute, she decided to change course and head to the soldier’s barracks. Maggie needed to clear her head and take a few minutes to sort through everything.