by Jennae Vale
“I don’t understand,” Lady Catherine said. “Why wouldn’t you be able to stop her?”
Richard took a moment to gather his thoughts. “You see, Brielle has her own reasons for wanting to destroy the MacKenzies. She’s not doing it solely for my objectives. She wants the bridge.”
Lady Caroline frowned. “What bridge are you speaking of?”
“The bridge through time, mother. Have I not told you about it?” Richard suddenly remembered that he had never mentioned it to her. “It’s a bridge that allows certain people to cross from one time period to another.” Catching sight of his mother’s incredulous expression, he explained further. “I did not believe it possible myself, to begin with, but I have travelled across it, mother, to a time far in the future.” His mother was staring at him as if he had lost his mind. “It’s true. I know it sounds absurd, but believe me, it is true.”
Lady Catherine eyed her son sadly. “Richard, you are truly suffering from lack of sleep. That is all. There can be no such thing as a bridge that spans time, but if what you say is true about this witch, you must stop her.”
Richard thought about this for a moment. He’d give anything to stop the nightmares. They played out continually in his mind, not only when he managed to snatch a few minutes of sleep, but also when he was awake. He couldn’t seem to escape them. Perhaps his mother was right. He should ride to Breaghacraig and alert them to Brielle’s presence, and beg their forgiveness at the same time. The thought of begging forgiveness from anyone galled him, but he knew in his heart that his mother was right, in fact, had been right all along. If he was ever to be happy again, he was going to have to humble himself in front of Irene and Robert. More than anything, he wished to apologize to Ashley. She undoubtedly hated him and Cailin would wish him dead. It mattered not if they were to forgive him, he would do it and if he lived through it, he would leave them alone and in peace from that moment forward.
“You are right, mother. I will take your advice and I will stop Brielle. It is the only way.”
His mother seemed satisfied with this agreement and coaxing Richard to stand, she wrapped her arms around him, “I am proud of you, Richard.” She held him close for a few minutes, and then slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Suddenly feeling lighter in mood, Richard found his appetite, eating and drinking like a starving man. In truth, he actually was starving. He hadn’t eaten more than a few bites since the nightmares began, but it wasn’t merely food he hungered for. He was hungry to unburden himself from the guilt, which over the years had become his constant companion. He was hungry for the love and approval of his mother; although he knew he had always had her love, he found that he also hankered for her approval. He decided there and then, he was going to be a changed man beginning immediately.
* * *
THE INNER COURTYARD was filled with people getting ready for the orchard visit. Carts were loaded down with baskets for the apples they would pick and filled barrels of honey, which would be brushed onto the trunks of the apple trees to feed the faeries. Three apples would be left on the branches of each tree for the Fae, in hopes that it would please them and ensure a good harvest the following year. It was an ancient custom and Maggie was fascinated by it all. Her love of ritual, myth and magick was being fed right along with the faeries today. She could hardly wait to get started.
“Do ye think we’ll see any real faeries today?” Maggie looked up expectantly at Angus.
“Nae. They dinnae want to be seen. They’ll be hiding and waiting for us to leave before they venture out. We can only hope they’ll be pleased and bless the MacKenzies with another good harvest next year.”
The procession to the orchards began. Robert and Irene struck off first, their children tagging along beside them. Next came Cailin, Ashley, Cormac and Jenna. Ashley and Jenna looked beautiful as always as they laughed and teased with their husbands. Dylan and Brielle were followed by Helene and Dougall, Sophia and Latharn. Watching all these happy couples was hard for Maggie to bear. She’d hoped to find her happily ever after in the arms of Dylan Sinclair and instead she was alone. Knowing that her self-pitying thoughts would not change anything, Maggie pulled herself together and followed Angus as he joined the others. After the last of the clan had fallen into line to begin the walk, the carts, filled to the brim with their cargo, followed behind. It was a lively, fun atmosphere and it couldn’t have been a better day either. The sun was shining brightly and while the air was crisp, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Luck was on their side – it didn’t appear that it would rain and ruin their fun this day.
* * *
THE GROUP REACHED the first orchard and everyone joined in a song of praise for the apple trees. When they were done, baskets were retrieved from the carts and set at the base of each trunk. The couples paired off and found trees with plenty of apples they could gather. Cormac hoisted Jenna up onto his shoulders, so that she could reach high up into the branches. She handed the apples down to him and shrieked every time he dipped down to put them in the basket. Dylan chuckled as he watched them, amazed at the transformation Jenna had undergone since marrying Cormac. Before their marriage, she had been difficult at best and often prickly, as Cormac liked to say, but she had really settled in here and was obviously very much in love with her husband. She was much more relaxed and the prickly Jenna was nowhere to be found. He smiled thinking about it. She had fought against her feelings for Cormac, tooth and nail, and when she’d finally given up the fight, she was the happiest he’d ever seen her. Her playful side came out whenever she was around Cormac. Dylan was happy for her and for his friend Ashley. She had also found love here at Breaghacraig. Her husband, Cailin, doted on her and the expectant parents were excited about their future family. Even Sophia, who had unintentionally found herself here in medieval Scotland, had found her place among the MacKenzies. She worked in the kitchen every day and seemed to love learning about the way things were done here. She had a special relationship with Mary, the cook, who had taken Sophia under her wing and treated her as if she were her own daughter. Latharn was clearly smitten with Sophia and the feeling was obviously mutual. They spent as much time together as possible and Dylan was happy that despite the way she had arrived, Sophia was content. She wasn’t even angry with Dylan anymore and the two had developed a nice friendship, which would never have been possible back in San Francisco. Now if he could only get his own love life straightened out. With a sigh, he glanced around the orchard. Maggie had disappeared on him again. He didn’t know where she had gone off to this time, but it seemed as if he was always trying to find her. There were so many people wandering through the orchard that it made it difficult to see her through the crowds, but at last he found her, seated beneath one of the trees, staring up into the branches.
“Hey, there you are. I’ve been looking for you,” Dylan said as he approached her. He sat down next to Maggie, searching her alluring face, hoping to see the old Maggie again and disappointed when he didn’t.
“Have ye?” Maggie asked, continuing her perusal of the tree branches.
“Do you want to pick some apples? Looks like we’ve got this tree all to ourselves.” Dylan waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention.
Maggie blinked and her eyes finally focused on him. “I’m sorry, what did ye say?”
“Let’s pick some apples!” He stood and put his hand out for her, helping her up.
She gathered apples from the bottom branches and placed them in the basket. “This is fun,” she said, sarcastically rolling her eyes.
Dylan sighed heavily and decided to broach the subject he’d been avoiding for days now. “Maggie, is something wrong? You seem so different from when we first met.” She didn’t respond, and Dylan tried again. “Have you changed your mind about me… lost interest?” he asked.
Seeming to wake from her trance, Maggie really looked at Dylan for the first time that day, “Lost interest? Don’t be silly. I find ye ve
rra attractive and I want nothing more than to be with ye.” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and before Dylan could question what was happening, she was in his arms and kissing him.
His first reaction was to push her away, but on second thoughts, Dylan decided that maybe if he hung in there, the kiss would get better. So far, it was doing nothing for him. It didn’t improve in the next minute or so, but not for lack of trying. I’m overthinking this. He tried the kiss again and put everything he had into it. He could feel Maggie melting into him, but nothing was happening for him emotionally. He deepened the kiss, feeling Maggie’s feet go right out from underneath her and she hung in his arms like a ragdoll. At least I haven’t lost my touch, he thought to himself, even though at the same time he was thinking he couldn’t remember not experiencing at least some reaction to a kiss. Opening his eyes, he noticed Alec staring daggers at him.
“I wonder what Alec’s problem is? He must be jealous,” Dylan murmured into Maggie’s ear.
“But of which one of us?” was her strange response.
Dylan thought it an odd comment to make, but let it slip to the back of his mind. Releasing Maggie, they continued picking apples until the trees were almost bare. Robert was gathering everyone around him in the center of the orchard when Dylan and Maggie completed their own apple picking.
“Thank ye all for joining us today. I believe we’ve made the faeries happy with all our singing and playing. They will surely bless us with another good harvest next year. Now, let’s all head back to the courtyard, where we will partake of cider made from the apples of these fine trees.” Robert scooped Irene into his arms before he continued. “The celebration will continue long into the night. There will be plenty of food and drink, good music and, of course, our traditional bonfire.”
The crowd cheered and began loading the apple-filled baskets back onto the carts. The sky was beginning to darken and the wind whipped fallen leaves in small flurries across the ground. Cloaks were gathered tighter to ward off the chill in the air and everyone moved quickly to finish loading the apples.
A clap of thunder rumbled loudly as the sky grew dark and ominous and a single bolt of lightning struck, too close for comfort, causing some of the group to shriek in fear. Striking a nearby tree, its shattered branches flew in every direction. The MacKenzies ran for cover as a second bolt flew from the sky, hitting another of the trees. A fireworks display of twigs and branches rained down on them as the tree exploded. Whole tree limbs were falling now and men and women dodged them, as they cried out to each other to avoid the heavy branches headed for the ground with such great velocity. Cormac grabbed Jenna and they ran towards the carts, followed by Ashley and Cailin. They huddled close to the wooden sides, Cormac and Cailin sheltering Jenna and Ashley with their large bodies. Robert and Irene, who had grabbed their children, were directing the rest of the clan to run. More lightning struck and more trees exploded around them. The sun, blotted from the sky, was unable to help them as they fled in almost total darkness. Latharn was hit by a sharp piece of tree branch that seemed to aim itself straight for him as he protected Sophia in his arms. Sophia screamed as he hit the ground, blood dripping from his head, where a jagged piece of wood had lodged itself in his skin.
Maggie knew this was not a random act of nature’s majesty. This was an act of Brielle. She had to put a stop to this, before someone else was hurt or even killed by a falling branch. Eyes searching in the near darkness, Maggie spotted Brielle, who sported a gleeful expression. Dylan was trying to drag her away, but Brielle was standing firm, rooted to the spot. Maggie couldn’t worry about her right now; instead, she concentrated her focus on the lightning and the exploding trees. She closed her eyes and took a calming inhalation, muttering beneath her breath. “Frozen in place, let these branches be. Lightning away from the apple trees. Calm once again, so mote it be.” Opening her eyes, Maggie saw the fruits of her labor. The tree shrapnel was suspended in the air above their heads. The skies cleared and brightened and the lightning disappeared. Relieved, she glanced around and saw Sophia sobbing over an extremely still Latharn.
“Maggie,” Dylan said to Brielle, as she stood with a knowing smile aimed at the real Maggie. “You did it! You stopped the trees from killing us all!”
“Aye. I did, Dylan. I couldnae let anything happen to you or the MacKenzies,” Brielle lied, with obviously feigned sincerity.
The real Maggie ran across to Latharn and Sophia. “Help him, please,” Sophia pleaded.
“I’ll do my best, Sophia. Let me get a look at him.” She guided Sophia out of the way and knelt beside Latharn. Maggie scanned the area surreptitiously, to make certain no one was watching. Fortunately, they all seemed to be preoccupied with other things. She passed her hand over Latharn’s head and his eyes opened. She made another pass, this time removing the shard of wood, and all the while making it appear as if she were merely examining his head.
“Sophia,” Latharn moaned. “Are ye safe?”
“Yes, Latharn. Is he okay?” Sophia asked Alec.
“Aye. It’s just a slight wound, but ye ken head wounds bleed furiously. It looks much worse than it be.”
“Oh, thank you, Alec. I was so worried when he wouldn’t open his eyes.” Sophia took hold of Latharn’s hand and held on for dear life.
“Leave him rest there for a minute. I think he should ride back in one of the carts. I’ll go see to it.” Maggie got to her feet and headed over to the carts. Angus was waiting for her.
“Brielle?” was all he said.
“Aye. I heard Dylan speaking with her and he thinks she’s the one who saved everyone and she agreed with him!” Maggie was fuming again. Brielle had gone too far this time. She had to find a way to get her away from Breaghacraig.
The MacKenzies, who had been enjoying the festivities so much all day had now become very subdued. All the joy had been sucked right out of them, which made Maggie both sad and infuriated. She would fix this. She had to, before someone ended up dead.
“Is Latharn going to be alright?” Angus asked.
“Aye. His wound was much more serious than it would appear now, but I used the healing spell Auntie taught me and it worked. I do think he should ride in one of the carts though.”
Angus hurried off and spoke with one of the cart drivers, directing him to where Latharn was still laying on the ground with Sophia clutching his hand tightly to her chest. They loaded him up beside the driver and Sophia scooted in next to him, holding onto Latharn for all she was worth.
As Brielle passed, she whispered so only Maggie could hear, “A fine piece of work you did, lass. Ye ruined my fun. Yer auntie has taught ye well.” She gave Maggie a challenging look and grabbed onto Dylan’s arm for the walk back to Breaghacraig.
Angus caught the tail end of what had just happened. “I don’t like this. I think we might be in over our heads.”
“Nae, we arenae. Dinnae even think it,” Maggie’s confidence was building and she knew that no matter what Brielle threw her way, she would be able to counter it. She knew she needed to keep her guard up and keep a wary eye on Brielle though. One minor slip of concentration could be the end of her, Dylan and the MacKenzies.
* * *
THE ATMOSPHERE at the evening’s bonfire remained subdued, the day’s events had seen to that. The clan gathered quietly around the bonfire and stared into the flames, some of them wondering aloud what type of omen the exploding trees could be. Would next year’s harvest be lost? More than half of the trees in the orchard had been destroyed. People were whispering quietly to one another about the wrath of the faeries and the good witch Maggie, who had put a stop to their ire.
“How can I stop her?” the real Maggie whispered to herself.
“Stop who?” Dylan asked as he suddenly appeared behind her.
“Oh. The faeries. They’ll want their revenge,” Maggie said, surprised at being overheard and needing to think quickly to cover her thoughts.
“Why would that be your responsibili
ty? Do you really believe in faeries?” Dylan was standing beside her now and once again, Maggie felt those familiar yearnings, tugging at her heartstrings.
“’Tis not my responsibility, of course. But I’d like to help though. If there were some way to put everyone at ease about what has happened, I’d like to do that.” Maggie meant what she said. She hated that what had started out as a day of fun and tradition had ended in fear and sadness and it was all Brielle’s fault.
“And the faeries?” Dylan wanted to know.
“Aye. I believe in faeries and witches, but I dinnae believe that the faeries were to blame for what happened today, though they willnae be happy that their trees were destroyed.”
“Do you think it was a passing storm, or do you believe something else was at work here?” Dylan questioned seriously.
“Yer full of questions, arenae ye? I’m afraid I dinnae ken why it happened, but I’d like to find out.”
“So would I. Maybe we could work together to figure it out.” Dylan appeared to be very sincere in his willingness to help. He was watching Maggie with his heavenly brown eyes and Maggie had to swallow deeply.
Maggie straightened up and looked away from him, before she gave away her true feelings. “Maybe we could.” She gathered all of her strength and walked away from him, melting into the crowd before he could follow.
CHAPTER 8
Dylan wasn’t familiar with witches and faeries, but he was not one to discount their existence, especially since Edna Campbell had made him a believer by allowing him to cross the bridge into another time. He had also seen Maggie’s handiwork yesterday, when she put a stop to the disaster that took place in the apple orchard. But what had caused it? It didn’t add up. It had been a beautiful sunny day and then, without warning, the trees around them were exploding – there was no other way to describe it – and fiery branches rained down on them. It was a frightening spectacle and one he would never forget. Something, or someone, had caused it to happen and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He was going to ask Alec to join him today on a ride out to the orchard, to see if he could find any clues. Too many strange goings on here at Breaghacraig were being left without explanation. His natural curiosity had gotten the better of him and he wouldn’t rest until he had the answers.