by Jennae Vale
“Go on with yer story,” Maggie prodded.
“I agreed to help this Jonathan by introducing him to a witch I knew who lived nearby. That would be Brielle. She provided him with the sleeping draught they needed and they went off on their way. I was planning to head back home to gather my men and to plot my next assault on the MacKenzies, when I thought I might be able to use this witch to finally get my revenge on them. I told her about my journey to the future and that a man, or woman could travel there and come back with information that might make them very rich, or that they might travel back in time to change their future. She knew of the bridge, but had never thought that it could be used to her benefit. It was at that moment she decided she had to have control of the bridge. Brielle and I spoke about it at length. We discussed your Aunt Edna and then the MacKenzies. I knew that Edna would never want any harm to come to the MacKenzies and I expressed this to Brielle. She was convinced that she had a plan in mind that would work to get her the bridge and me the revenge I sought.”
“With or without you, Brielle wants control of that bridge,” Maggie stated.
“I understand that, but I can’t help but wonder if I didn’t put the thought in her head, would she have done this?”
“I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that she hates my Aunt Edna, because she refused to let Brielle cross the bridge many years ago, and it was probably just a matter of time before she would have figured out that the best way to hurt her was by hurting the MacKenzies, taking the bridge, or both,” Maggie offered.
“I’m afraid I didn’t really care what her motivation might be at the time. I just saw her as a way to do more damage to the MacKenzies and to get back at Edna.” He turned his gaze towards the fire, seeming embarrassed by his own callousness.
Maggie spent a few minutes explaining everything Brielle had done at Breaghacraig, how she had disguised herself as Maggie, tried to kill Angus and that she and Dylan had left Breaghacraig in an attempt to keep her from doing further damage there. Their hope was that she would want her talisman back so badly that she’d come to them. Richard sat silently, listening carefully to what she said and when she finished she could tell from his expression he was thinking seriously. His brow was wrinkled and he sat tapping his lips steadily with one finger.
“Do you think she’ll come here?” he asked.
“I believe she’s here already. I can feel her presence nearby. I don’t think it will be long now before she shows herself and then I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” Maggie shivered at the thought. She still hadn’t come to grips with the fact that she might have to kill Brielle to end the threat she posed.
For a few minutes, the crackling and popping of the fire was the only sound in the room. “I’d like to stay with you. I believe I can help, if you’ll allow it.” Richard finally said.
Dylan gave Maggie another gentle squeeze. “I’m all for it,” he said. “The more of us there are, the better our chances.”
“Alright,” Maggie said. “I’ll tell ye what I’ve told Dylan. ’Tis my fight. I must do this. I must be the one to defeat her. Ye can be there to support me, but please dinnae interfere.”
“Agreed,” Richard said, extending a hand to Maggie, who took it without hesitation. Dylan placed his hand on top of theirs to confirm their pact. “We should get some sleep. If you don’t mind, I’ll make my bed here by the fire.” Richard got up and grabbed a blanket from his saddlebags, placing it on the floor.
Dylan pulled Maggie up from her spot on the floor and they made their way across the small room to the bed. They climbed in fully dressed, Maggie curling up with her head on Dylan’s chest. Her mind returned to thoughts of the previous night spent in this same bed and despite the fact that she was happy to have Richard here with them, a little privacy would certainly have been nice. Dylan seemed to be reading her mind when he gently kissed the top of her head and wrapped her a little more tightly in his arms.
CHAPTER 18
The morning sun had begun its climb into the sky, but the usual sounds of the world awakening were missing. Maggie knew something was wrong immediately, when she awoke to total silence. Where were the birds, who were never deterred from their cheerful chirping each morning? There was no breeze rustling the leaves in the trees. Even the sound of the river was gone. It was as if the world stood still, watching and waiting. Maggie climbed from the bed, careful not to disturb Dylan, who slept soundly at her side. She crept past Richard, who was also still sleeping soundly on the floor. Opening the door, she stepped outside into a world that had morphed overnight in an otherworldly way. Everything around her appeared to have been frozen in place. Birds hung in the sky, paralyzed in midflight; Maggie’s horse, seeming for all the world as if she’d been enjoying a good buck, had stopped mid-motion, with her hind legs in the air. The other horses stood still as could be in the grassy field, heads down and motionless, as if they had been captured by an artist in the middle of grazing. The eerie silence was abruptly broken by cackling laugher coming from one of the trees by the river’s edge. There, sitting amid the branches of a giant pine tree she spied Brielle, looking quite comfortable in her lofty perch.
“Good morn to ye, lassie,” Brielle greeted her brightly, with a sarcastic sneer curving her lips.
Maggie didn’t answer, her mind whirling with thoughts about what Brielle had planned and how best to approach the situation. She suffered a moment of sheer panic, but forced herself to take a deep breath and grounded herself.
“Would ye care to join me?” Brielle asked. Before Maggie could consider what Brielle was suggesting, she found herself being pulled up into the air, as if she was being hoisted on invisible strings, high above the cottage until she was at eye level with Brielle. “That’s better,” Brielle announced. She was surrounded by dozens of birds, and not one of them was moving a single feather or even blinking.
Breathe! Breathe! Maggie continued to fight against the panic, which threatened to overtake her. She had always been afraid of heights and usually avoided them at all costs, but now she found herself hovering, fifty feet in the air, and she was completely terrified.
“Are ye afraid of heights, Maggie? If ye are, I could always send ye back down to the ground.” Brielle laughed evilly and Maggie suddenly found herself freefalling towards the hard ground below. She squeezed her eyes shut in terror just as she was about to hit the ground, but instead, she was yanked back up to Brielle’s level again. “Wasn’t that fun? Would ye like to do it again?” Brielle tipped her head, waiting for an answer.
Maggie couldn’t speak. She was nauseous and shaking violently, from the rush of adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream.
“Cat got yer tongue? Answer me, Maggie! ’Tis no fun at all if ye dinnae plead with me to let ye go.”
Maggie did her best to relax. If she were going to succeed here, she needed a clear head. “I’ll nae plead with ye. Drop me if ye wish, but then yer little game of cat and mouse will be over.”
As Maggie watched Brielle contemplating her next move, she managed to calm herself enough to float gently back to earth and once her feet touched the ground, she made a run for the cottage. Bolts of lightning rained down on her from above, nearly striking her on more than one occasion. In a panic, she hit the ground and rolled behind a large boulder. Peeking over the top of the boulder, she could see Brielle had disappeared. She wasn’t sitting in the tree anymore. Where had she gone? Maggie searched the vicinity, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The spell had been broken and to her relief, the birds were chirping and the horses were moving again. Everything was back to normal, or so it seemed.
Dylan and Richard both appeared in the doorway, concerned expressions upon their faces.
Maggie ran over to them, her hands still shaking from the ordeal. “Are you okay, Maggie?” Dylan gripped her arms, searching her face for an answer. “I had a really bad dream. I was paralyzed, and it didn’t matter how much I tried, I couldn’t move a mu
scle. You were falling from a tree and I couldn’t do anything to save you.”
“I had exactly the same dream,” Richard said sharply, frowning heavily. “Perhaps it was not a dream at all.”
“Yer right. ’Twas nae a dream. Brielle was here, sitting up in that tree over there,” Maggie explained, pointing to the tall pine tree where Brielle had been perched. “Somehow, she was able to freeze time; everything was stopped in mid-motion, including the two of ye, I think. The only things that could move were Brielle and me.” Maggie shook her head, still trying to come to terms with the events of the past few minutes.
“Where is she now?” Richard asked.
“I don’t know, but I would imagine she hasnae gone far.” Maggie shivered at the prospect. She’d been completely overwhelmed by Brielle’s first attack – how on earth would she be able to stop her?
Dylan held Maggie close, rubbing her back to soothe her. “We’ve got to find her, Maggie. She could’ve killed you.” His arms tightened around her protectively.
“But she didnae. She’s playing with me and I’m nae sure why, but I need to be prepared for anything and everything. She caught me off guard this time, and I let my fear cloud my brain. Once I calmed my mind, I was able to float down to the ground unharmed. Keeping a clear head and not letting fear in, I believe that’s what will help me defeat her.”
“You’ll need to draw her out. Make her come to you,” Richard suggested. “If you can keep her occupied, I might be able to get a shot off at her with my bow.”
Maggie shook her head firmly. “Nae. I told ye, I must do this myself. Nae matter what ye see, ye mustn’t interfere.”
The two men seemed ready to argue the point with her, but when they saw the determination on her face, they apparently thought better of it.
“Ye may stand with me in support, but that is all.” Maggie wanted to make it clear to them, and tried to sound as confident as she could. “I can do this. Believe in me.”
“I have faith in you, Maggie, but you have to understand how hard it is, to feel so utterly helpless in this situation.” Dylan grumbled, obviously not enjoying the position Maggie had placed him in.
“Richard?” Maggie wanted his assurance as well.
“I believe in you, Maggie,” he said.
“Okay. I have an idea. I’ll need the amulet and a minute or two to gather my thoughts,” Maggie entered the cottage, leaving Dylan and Richard standing outside, staring at her departing back in dismay.
* * *
“I DON’T LIKE THIS,” Dylan said to Richard. The two men had stepped away from the door of the cottage to avoid Maggie overhearing them, and they strolled towards where the horses were happily grazing. “I know Maggie is a powerful witch, but I think she’s at a serious disadvantage here with Brielle.”
“I agree. I think we need to have a plan in place, if things start looking bleak.” Richard whistled to his horse, Arion. The great beast cantered right up to him and lowered his head for a rub. Richard obliged him and when he stopped, Arion almost knocked him off his feet as he butted him with his head, seeking more attention. “Arion, I cannot stand here all day patting you, will an apple be a reasonable recompense?” Richard pulled an apple out from his pocket and offered it to Arion, who happily gobbled it up. The other two horses stood nearby, waiting for treats of their own.
“I don’t have anything for you,” Dylan apologized. The horses both snorted impatiently at him and he chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that.”
Both horses ignored him, instead focusing on Richard, who had drawn another apple from a pocket. He halved it with his knife and gave one piece to each horse. They happily munched on them as Richard and Dylan worked on a backup plan, just in case Maggie found herself in trouble. As they headed back to the cottage, the wind began to pick up and the faint sound of Brielle’s cackling laughter floated in on the breeze. The two men stopped dead in their tracks and spun around, trying to place the direction the laughter was coming from. Strangely, it seemed to be echoing at them from every angle. Striding purposefully back to the cottage, they found Maggie waiting for them in the doorway. She held up the amulet.
“I’m hoping this will do the trick,” Maggie said, passing them on her way out the door.
“Wait, what are you going to do?” Dylan was desperately worried, but he hoped it wasn’t being revealed in his voice.
“Lure her with the amulet,” Maggie answered calmly.
Richard raised a questioning eyebrow and put a reassuring hand on Dylan’s shoulder as they both turned and followed Maggie out into the open field.
* * *
“OH, my,” Edna whispered. She was back at her post, pacing next to the fire and she had a bird’s eye view of everything that was happening. Edna had finally found a spell that would allow her to get around the barrier Brielle had put in place to prevent her communicating with Maggie. She could clearly see and hear Maggie, Dylan and Richard standing together outside of a small stone cottage. They were going to face down Brielle together. The nightmares must have worked, she thought with a satisfied smile. Richard is there to help them, not to hurt them. As for Brielle, Edna would keep watch and remain an unseen onlooker.
* * *
“BRIELLE!” Maggie called. She searched the treetops, expecting to see the witch perched up among the branches and birds, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Brielle! I have something I think you might want.” Maggie held the amulet up in the air, hoping that wherever Brielle was, she would be able to see it clearly.
“She’s not here,” Dylan said, standing right behind her.
“She is here. I can sense her.” Maggie continued standing on the spot, the amulet suspended from her outstretched fingers. “We’ll wait.”
Richard took a stance to her left and Dylan to her right. Minutes passed and there was still no sign of Brielle.
A sudden movement from the trees had them turning in that direction, to discover three large, cat-like creatures running straight at them. They were enormous in size, all black in color with the exception of a single white spot on each animal’s breast. Dylan and Richard pulled out their swords in preparation for being attacked.
“They’re Cait Sith,” Maggie shouted. She’d only heard of these creatures in folklore and hadn’t believed that they truly existed until this moment, but perhaps they weren’t real at all, merely something conjured up by Brielle to frighten them. If that was the case, it was working. The creatures were hurtling towards them with the clear intention of killing them, judging by their blazing eyes and the smoke emanating from their nostrils. Dylan used his sword to stab the first one, aiming directly into the white spot on its chest as it lunged at him. The Cait Sith dropped to the ground and vanished immediately. Richard wasn’t quite as lucky. His sword hit, but only nicked the Cait Sith’s shoulder, having no effect whatsoever on the great cat, other than to prevent it from reaching him. Maggie stood frozen in place as she watched the third Cait Sith draw closer and closer. She held on tightly to the amulet, not wanting to drop it. Dylan saw her dilemma and rushed to her aid, slashing desperately at the giant cat. He got between the Cait Sith and Maggie, effectively blocking it from reaching her as he continued to stab at its body. He finally managed a killing blow, once again to the single white spot on its chest and the cat flopped lifelessly to the ground and disappeared.
“Richard, aim for the white spot!” Dylan shouted. Richard was still fending off the assault, but hadn’t been able to kill the beast. With Dylan’s advice, he stopped for a moment and waited for the giant creature to come at him again. As it did, he saw his chance and ran his blade straight through, and watched as what had once been a massive cat, disappeared into thin air.
The Cait Sith were no sooner gone than the giant boulders, which lay strewn about the field began to rise, turning into stone behemoths before molding themselves into giant men. Maggie, Dylan and Richard started to back up as the ground beneath their feet began to shake with every step the giant stone men t
ook. With each step, they tore enormous rocks from the ground and hurled them towards Maggie and the men, narrowly missing them as they sought shelter from the onslaught.
Maggie quickly recited a spell to try and stop them. She didn’t know if it would work, but it was all she had to work with, in an effort to stop the magical creatures. These giants would be impenetrable to the weapons that Richard and Dylan carried. “Giant men made from stone, back to boulders you must go, fight no more with us this day, back you go to always stay.” The giants had been closing in on them, but Maggie finished the incantation and they toppled to the ground, returning to harmless boulders before their very eyes.
The three of them remained on guard, waiting for the next assault to come and when it didn’t, Maggie stepped forward. “Brielle! I guess you aren’t interested in this amulet. Perhaps I should just smash it, then.” Maggie made a show of pretending to drop the amulet onto the ground, but she merely concealed it within her closed fist. She lifted her foot as if to crush it, but a whirling sound began, growing louder and louder until Brielle appeared, standing nose to nose with Maggie. Dylan and Richard lunged forward to protect her, but Maggie held up her hand to stop them.
“I’ll take my amulet back.” Brielle bent to retrieve it from the ground, but stopped in place, when she realized the amulet wasn’t there. Slowly, she straightened back up and anger and rage showed on her face and in her posture at being fooled.
“I guess it is of value to you, after all,” Maggie said sweetly. “If you want it back, you’ll need to agree to my terms.”
“Terms!” Brielle scoffed. “I’ll nae agree to anything! You will give me my amulet, or I will turn your friends here to ash!”
“I wouldnae do that if I were you,” Maggie warned.
“Do these men nae have voices of their own? Why do they nae speak? Perhaps they are not real men at all.” It was obvious Brielle was trying to rile them and get a reaction. She eyed Richard curiously, with an impish twinkle in her eye. “Richard, I cannae believe you would betray me! Did ye nae tell me ye wanted yer revenge on the MacKenzies? Have ye changed yer mind?”