by Donna Grant
In truth, he wanted to rip Lugus’ head off his shoulders, but that was going to be a bit hard since he had no more strength than a dandelion thanks to the torture he had endured.
He flexed his hands. They itched to have his weapons near him again. He was naked without them.
His attention was soon turned to the burning debris of the city as they walked down the main road. The black dragons rode the wind above them calling out with loud roars.
It wasn’t hard to notice Moira jump ever time one of the dragons roared, but it disturbed him when he spotted Lugus’ downcast eyes as they walked past rubble that was once part of the proud city.
Lugus’ actions didn’t mesh with what he had let loose. Could it be that he regretted freeing the Death Dragons? Dartayous nearly laughed aloud at that thought. He really was daft.
His laughter died when he spotted the giant standing stones. The beginning of the end was about to start. He wanted to run to Moira, to kiss her sweet, full lips once more. He wanted to gaze into her Druid green eyes and see the hope and joy there as it had once been.
The crackle of lightning split the air when Lugus walked between the stones. In just a moment they would be standing at the glen and all the hope that the Druid’s held would vanish with their presence. Dartayous swallowed and followed Aimery through the doorway.
* * * *
Glenna started at the loud crack that echoed through the forest. She turned toward the mighty oak tree as the sound of footsteps raced toward her.
Her heart slammed into her chest. She focused her power, ready to use her control over fire to protect herself. Only it wasn’t some predator come to kill her, it was Conall, Fiona and Gregor.
She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and shook her head. “You scared a score of years off my life.”
“Did you hear anything?” Fiona asked. Her eyes searched the area.
Glenna smiled at Conall so he would know she was all right. “I did,” she answered her sister. “It was toward the nemeton.”
The sound of swords being withdrawn from scabbards broke the silence. She looked down and found that both her husband and her brother-in-law had drawn their swords.
“I’ll go see what it is,” Gregor said and started forward, but Fiona held him back.
“Not without me,” she told him.
Glenna smiled, because she knew Gregor wasn’t going another step without Fiona by his side no matter how he argued. Apparently he realized it too and gave in.
“We aren’t without weapons ourselves,” Glenna reminded Gregor as she walked past him with Conall by her side.
What she saw when she entered the nemeton would forever be etched in her memory. Moira stood within Lugus’ arms smiling up at him.
“The crown,” Fiona whispered beside her.
Glenna blinked away her tears. “She has chosen Lugus.”
“But Dartayous is with them,” Conall said.
Gregor grunted. “He has lost hope. You have only to look at him.”
“Then we are doomed,” Conall stated.
Glenna turned and gazed into her husband’s silver eyes. “Not yet we aren’t.”
Fiona gasped and pointed toward the group. “Aimery is with them. As is Rufina and Theron. I don’t understand.”
But Glenna did. “Lugus has brought them to keep watch over them. The closer you keep your enemies the better.”
“Then lets get close to our enemy,” Gregor said.
She took a deep breath and tried to still the quivering of her stomach. They walked toward the newly arrived group. Glenna never took her eyes off Moira. She was different somehow. Almost freer it seemed.
But Glenna wasn’t given long in her perusal of her sister as Conall and Gregor let it be known they were there, drawing Lugus’ attention.
Her eyes then went to Lugus. When he had masqueraded as a Druid he had been short with light brown hair, but the man before her was as handsome as any Fae she had ever seen. And there was no denying the love in his eyes as he stared down at Moira.
This was the same Fae who had tried to kill her and Fiona, yet how could she hold such hatred for him when his love for Moira was so evident?
Frang entered the nemeton from the left, his steps unhurried. “It has begun,” he said.
* * * *
Moira jerked at the sound of Frang’s voice.
“’Tis all right,” Lugus whispered in her ear. “He cannot hurt you. I won’t allow it.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his words. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill her sisters, enslaved the entire race of Fae, released the Death Dragons, and was attempting to take over both of their realms...he had grown on her.
But she couldn’t hide from her fears forever. It was time to see if she could really pull off her charade. She stepped out of Lugus’ arms and faced Frang and her sisters.
The vehemence from Gregor and Conall’s eyes nearly brought her to her knees. She quickly looked away from them and turned to her sisters. Fiona was aloof, as if she didn’t know her whereas Glenna gazed at her thoughtfully.
Moira couldn’t hold Glenna’s gaze. She had a sense that Glenna would see through her plan and might ruin it despite her good intentions. But it was Frang who affected her the most.
His eyes held a sadness that went soul deep, and his face suddenly looked as old as the rest of him. The disappointment within him was easily discerned.
She held her tongue as Frang walked to stand in front of Lugus. “So now you finally show you’re true self.”
Lugus bowed his head slightly. “I finally have all that I desire,” he said and looked at Moira.
Embarrassment ran swift and raw through her. She licked her dry lips and kept her back straight. She would not be bowed before any of them despite what they may think of her. She would show them that she hadn’t failed them. She would put everything back to the way it was supposed to be.
“Is everything prepared?” Lugus asked Frang.
“Of course. Follow me.” Frang turned and walked away.
Moira didn’t realize just how scared she was until Lugus took her hand in his. He tried to reassure her with a smile, but even his handsome looks and blue eyes couldn’t dispel her fear.
She glanced over her shoulder and found Conall walking beside Dartayous. She longed to know what they spoke of, but she doubted she would ever know. Most likely it was about her betrayal.
But there was one thing that bothered her. They were missing a key member of the prophecy.
She tugged on Lugus’ arm. “Where is MacNeil?”
“I have plans for him,” he said and chuckled. “Don’t worry. The prophecy will be fulfilled.”
She had little doubt of that, but she couldn’t help but wonder just how many plans Lugus had thought up. Of a sudden her stomach flipped then flopped like a dead fish. There was no way she could carry out her plan.
Not alone.
* * * *
The cleansing ceremony was one Moira had always hated, but now that had changed. Now she would have the chance to speak to her sisters and bring them in on her plan. She wouldn’t be alone.
Hope sprung in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, her plan would work after all.
She started to follow the young female Druid who had come to bring her to where the ceremony would begin, but Lugus stopped her.
He leaned close to her ear and said, “Watch Glenna and Fiona. They are planning something.”
“You have read their thoughts?”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “They are very easy to read.”
It was then Moira knew she wouldn’t be able to speak to her sisters. Lugus would find out and everything would be ruined. She had sacrificed too much already for anything more to spoil her carefully thought out strategy.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “They won’t be able to pull me from you.”
His eyes glowed with happiness. “After the prophecy is fulfilled I will take you back to Caer Rhoemyr
. We’ll find a way to catch the death dragons, and we’ll rebuild the city. Right after we finally consummate our wedding.”
Her already weak knees nearly gave out. Her plan had better work. She might have gotten to like Lugus, but there was no way she could share her body with him.
“And,” he continued, “I have another surprise.”
“More than you have already given me?” She let out a breathless laugh, not sure she could hold herself together much longer.
He pulled her into his arms. “You can become immortal.”
Her legs did give out. He caught hold of her and stood her on her feet. “Moira?” He held her face between his hands and looked closely at her.
“I’m so thrilled. I never knew.” And she hadn’t. She kept a smile on her face though she wanted to break down and cry in frustration. “How would I become immortal?” She didn’t know what prompted her to ask.
“There’s a tree as old as time behind the palace. Its fruit bears a special juice that will make you immortal. Now go,” he urged her. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
She turned away to follow the young girl and came face to face with Dartayous. He meet her gaze, his facing showing no emotion. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, to tell him that everything would be all right.
Her arm lifted on its own accord, needing to feel Dartayous’ strength when her hand was grabbed. She looked down at her hand, then at Lugus.
“You are mine,” he said vehemently.
She nodded and rubbed his hand against her cheek. “I know. This man,” she said with a jerk of her head toward Dartayous, “looked sick. I thought I might heal him so he would be in good health for when you kill him.”
Lugus nodded and watched her walk away, yet doubt gnawed at him. He had a suspicion that he no longer had control over her mind, but every time he tested her she proved herself.
Still, he would have to keep watch over her until the end. He turned toward Dartayous and found him watching Moira as well. He couldn’t blame Dartayous. Many times he had watched Moira from afar, but now she was his.
And would stay that way.
He stood in front of Dartayous, his nose just inches away. “Look all you want,” Lugus told him. “Memorize her features, the way her hair glistens in the sunlight, the twinkle in her green eyes when she smiles, because in just a few hours those memories will be all you have.”
Eyes the same bright blue as his sizzled with anger. Lugus waited for Dartayous to strike, hoping he would, but Dartayous just stepped back and shrugged.
Lugus clenched his fists. He wanted a fight. He itched to smash his fists into the man who held Moira’s heart, because without his hold on her she wouldn’t be with him. She would have chosen Dartayous.
“I have her now,” he repeated.
Dartayous lifted his eyes to him. “Is there a reason you continue to repeat that? Could it be that you’re afraid of losing her?”
Lugus laughed to hide the fact that the barb hit home. “Just remember who will leave here with her and who will be lying dead.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The afternoon sun rose high in the clear sky. A cool autumn breeze rustled the dying leaves singing a soft song of the coming winter through the forest. It was the death of the year they had known, and the coming birth of the new year.
It was the timeless cycle of death, rebirth and a new life.
Samhain, or the Feast of the Dead, would commence at sundown. The fate of the world would be decided then.
Moira stepped forward to the Pool of the Ancients were it was said that the ancient Druid priests and priestesses’ magic would cleanse and rejuvenate.
She held out her arms and the female Druids removed her gown. With their aide she stepped naked into the still water. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fiona and Glenna follow. The Druids chanted an olden Celtic hymn as they poured the sacred water over Moira and her sisters.
Moira closed her eyes and meditated as the Druids continued with the ceremony. Her mind wandered to the time she and Dartayous had spent together, alone with nothing but her love and the passion between their bodies.
He had given her a glimpse of what love was, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was her mate. He could deny it all he wanted, but whether in this life or the next she would prove it to him.
“Moira.”
Her eyes flew open. She looked around and found the Druids gone. She was alone with Fiona and Glenna. The time she had dreaded was upon her. She said a silent prayer that she could continue with her charade and convince her sisters she had indeed turned.
“Moira,” Glenna spoke again.
She looked at her youngest sister, afraid to say anything, but desperately needing to confide in them. She didn’t want to do this alone. In a flash her old worries of being alone claimed her.
“We’ve missed you.”
Moira couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in her eyes, or the lone tear that escaped and ran down her face. She kept silent when what she wanted to do was hold Glenna and see if everything was well with her. To ask if her and Conall’s love was still as strong as ever, if Conall had recovered his power fully yet, and if clan MacInnes was doing well.
Fiona scooted closer to her. “Talk to us,” she begged Moira.
Moira looked away from them. To save their lives she had to keep silent, she had to make Lugus think she was still under his control. But most of all, if her sisters knew anything he would read it in their thoughts.
If anyone deserved happiness it was her sisters. They had each been through so much, but now they had found their mates and had started a life.
“Please,” Fiona said and reached out to touch her. “Moira, we need you.”
Moira pulled back, afraid that if she allowed them to touch her she would break and tell them everything. “Stay away,” she said.
Glenna openly cried, but Fiona only shook her head, her sorrow making her green eyes overly large. Never in her life had Moira wanted to scream at the world for what was put upon her. But for her sister’s happiness, for the future of the Druids and Scotland, she would go through with her plan.
For several moments, she kept her eyes straight ahead as she listened to Glenna cry and Fiona comfort her. Her resolve to ignore them was slowly breaking. She even began to convince herself that they might be able to keep it from Lugus. With there help the success of her plan was great.
She began to turn toward them when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The Druids had returned. She nearly sighed aloud she was so grateful. She hastily rose from the water and was wrapped in a white robe. She wouldn’t see her sisters again until the Samhain ceremony.
And if everything went according to her well thought out plan they would be laughing about this in the morning. * * * *
The sun sank into the horizon when Lugus ushered Moira toward the nemeton. She still wore the simple white robe, tied at the waist with braided rope, her hair hanging loose. Two stacks of wood had been gathered for the great bonfires. She scanned the growing darkness for MacNeil, but didn’t see him.
Her gaze darted to Conall and she found him fingering the hilt to his sword. He expected some kind of surprise. It was what made him such a good laird. It was also why the Druid’s had chosen his clan to hide them.
“Moira,” Dartayous called out to her.
She felt Lugus stiffen beside her, but she turned toward Dartayous all the same.
“Look at me,” he said.
“I am.”
He shook his head. “Nay. Look at me. Have you truly forgotten me?”
“I do not know you,” she said and hoped he didn’t hear the tremble in her voice.
“I don’t believe that. How can you forget what was between us? The passion. The love.”
This couldn’t be happening. How long had she yearned to hear him say such words? She tried to swallow but found her mouth dry. “I do not know you.”
“Please,” he said and fell to
his knees. “You called me your mate.”
Her heart leapt into her throat at seeing him begging her on his knees. Finally, after all the years of wanting she had him. And all she had to do was tell him he was right. But then Lugus would win and her world would be held by him.
Dartayous or the fate of the world?
She wanted to scream her frustration. How could this have been put on her? It wasn’t fair.
Life isn’t fair.
Frang’s words on the night of her parent’s murder came back to her then. What was happening around her was bigger than her and Dartayous. She had to put her wants and needs aside and think about the future Druids and Highlanders. They needed their homes and land. They needed her to do what was right.
Dartayous’ blue eyes begged her to tell him he was right. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears away. When she found herself lifting her foot to walk towards him she hastily turned away from him.
Once she had her emotions under control again she raised her eyes and found Lugus watching her intently. Behind her she heard Dartayous rise to his feet and Glenna sniffle.
“I never did have control over you did I?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she lied. If he thought he had lost the power then her plan wouldn’t work. He had to think he was still in control. “Do you mean you put some spell on me?” she asked innocently.
He nodded and sighed as he raised his hand to gently touch her face. “As you wish.”
“’Tis time,” Frang called as he walked into the nemeton.
Moira took her place on the west side of the central fire where thirteen candles had been positioned around the fire. Fiona took her position on the eastern side, and Glenna took the south.
“Sundown is the time of Samhain,” Frang’s voice rang out. “On this sacred night the old year ends and the new begins. We are entering the between time, the three days between the old year and the new.”
He walked around Moira and her sisters stopping and touching each one on the shoulder. He stopped next to Moira and placed his hand on her shoulder.