Time Everlastin' Book 5

by Mickee Madden

  Then—

  With a gasp, Reith keeled over onto his back, his hands cupping his crotch. Blue sat up, staring at his contorted features in burgeoning perplexity.

  "What happened?"

  "Ye...kneed me," he choked out.

  She glanced down to see her legs folded in front of her. Static roared in her ears. Moments passed before she ventured to straighten them, and miraculously, the muscles complied.

  "H-how is this p-possible?" she stammered, and stared dumbfoundedly as she wiggled her toes.

  Still gasping in pain, Reith forced himself to sit up. "Ye stood afore."

  "Not since you injured me!" she cried.

  "In the basement at that inn." He took a second to catch his breath. "Ye kissed me, remember? Then...when Dougie stuck ye wi' the needle, ye stood and faced him."

  The memory slammed home. "I remember," she whispered, staring off into space.

  "Twas the kissin, right enough."

  "You egotistical—" She bit off the retort and, concentrating on her legs, cautiously pushed herself onto her feet. She held out her arms to better balance, took a step, another, then a third.

  Although still in pain, a smile broke out on Reith's face.

  "They're tingly but...I can walk!" she laughed.

  A gush of air from behind, brought her head around. She screamed and twisted around, and fell into Reith, who, despite his discomfort, scrambled in front of Blue to block her view of the creature staring down at them.

  "Go away!" he commanded, and flagged a hand. "Shoo!"

  Karok released a second snort and settled on his haunches. He proffered two blue and green plaid blankets.

  Reith gaped at the offering before hesitantly taking them. "Thank ye," he said warily, passing the blankets to Blue.

  She peered around him at the creature. "He's a gargoyle," she said and quickly glanced about the room.

  "That's why we have no power. We must be beneath the menhirs."

  "The sacred site?"

  "Yes," Blue said. "Fairies are not permitted on these grounds."

  "But we dinna come here o' our own volition," he said out the side of his mouth, as if to do so would prevent the creature from hearing.

  "Nonetheless...we're here."

  Reith eased to his feet and bowed his head to the gargoyle. "We humbly offer our apologies for this intrusion," he said respectfully, and looked up to find the creature smiling. "Blue, am I seein' rightly?"

  Holding onto Reith's arm for support, she stood beside him. "Yes. He's incredible. His eyes are so human—"

  Karok chuffed in indignation.

  "You understand our language?" she asked, incredulous.

  Karok nodded.

  "Blue!" a voice boomed.

  "Lachlan!" she cried joyously.

  Reith leaned forward, still engrossed in perusing the gargoyle when Lachlan, Roan, Taryn and Broc rushed to their side. A giddy grin was forming on Reith's mouth when Lachlan abruptly placed himself between the creature and the group, a broadsword raised to ward off the gargoyle.

  "I have no quarrel wi' you," Lachlan said, scowling.

  Karok eyed the weapon with haughty contempt before he snatched it from Lachlan and tossed it aside. Surprised by the creature's agility, Lachlan set his balled hands on his hips and stepped forward. "Maybe I do," he added, the scowl returning.

  Karok’s shrewd gaze passed from Lachlan to Broc, who stepped to Lachlan's side.

  "Dougie be awake," Broc said and Karok made a rueful face.

  "He understands?" Lachlan asked, eyeing the creature skeptically.

  "Aye."

  To everyone's but Broc and Reith's surprise, Blue walked to the creature and tentatively brushed her fingertips along the side of Karok’s neck. Karok offered a purring gurgle in response.

  "You can walk?" Roan asked with a laugh.

  Lachlan remained silent, gawking at her legs.

  "Yes," she said. "They feel a little strange, still." The underside of one hand pressed to Karok’s lowered cheek, she cooed, "Isn't he incredible?"

  "Aye," Roan said.

  "Should you be standin' so close?" Lachlan asked, his distrust of Karok unwavering.

  With a lopsided grin, the gargoyle thumped Lachlan's chest and released a volley of liquid sounds to Broc.

  "Aye," Broc muttered, chagrin heightening his color. "He be concerned."

  More from Karok, and Broc sighed impatiently.

  "He be close to these fairies," said Broc, passing Lachlan a disgruntled look.

  "Wha' is he sayin'?" Lachlan asked.

  "First, tha' ye remind him o' me."

  "Insultin' me, eh?" Lachlan grumbled.

  Broc's eyebrows arched. Ignoring the comment, he added, "And he be curious abou' ye."

  "Why?" Lachlan said, a scowl riveted on Karok.

  "No doubt, puttin' yersel between us an' him."

  Lachlan's gaze shifted to Broc. "Wha' are you no' tellin' me?"

  "Ye trust no one, do ye?" Broc said, facing Lachlan and unwittingly placing his hands on his hips. Nose to nose, they resembled ancient warriors, one daring the other to cross the line.

  Karok snorted loudly, drawing their attention back to him before he released a series of watery sounds.

  "If they canna?" Broc asked him.

  The creature's jutting brow scrolled down into a frown.

  Broc released a breath of frustration. "But if I dinna ken, how can they?"

  "Is this abou' tha' key?" Lachlan asked.

  "Aye."

  Lachlan's spine stiffened when Karok leaned toward him, their faces inches apart. One not to succumb easily to intimidation, Lachlan folded his arms against his chest and cocked his head. "Mr. Gargoyle, sir, wha' guarantee have we tha' if we find this key o' yers, you will free us all?"

  Straightening, Karok folded his arms and cocked his head, mocking Lachlan's stance.

  "Get his ire up, why dinna ye," Broc muttered.

  "Tis a fair enough question," Lachlan said stubbornly.

  "Your name is Karok?" Blue asked.

  He nodded.

  "If the key isn't down here," said Taryn, "how can we search for it if you won't let us leave?"

  "Ye all can leave," Broc said.

  "Not without you, I won't," Taryn said stubbornly.

  A ponderous expression softened Lachlan's features as his arms dropped to his sides. "Key?" he murmured. "Why does tha'—" A sound between a laugh and a cry boomed from him. "Karok’s family key!"

  Taryn, dazed, positioned herself beside Lachlan. "The dirk?"

  "Aye, the bloody done-me-in-twice dirk!" Lachlan said jubilantly. "Part o' the runes translate to Karok’s Family Key!"

  "The MacLachlan dirk," said Roan, now at Broc's side.

  "Is it the dirk ye’re lookin' for?" Lachlan asked the gargoyle.

  Karok studied each face as if running the question over and over through his mind. He nodded hesitantly, his gaze fixed on Broc.

  "I remember a dirk," Broc said, puzzled. "I havena seen it for a verra long time, though." He frowned at Lachlan. "Wha' do ye mean by done-ye-in-twice?"

  "It has a fondness for ma heart," Lachlan said wryly, rubbing the area.

  "Do ye know where it be?" Broc asked.

  "I...borrowed it from Lachlan," Taryn said. "It's in my knapsack!"

  "Which is where?" Roan asked.

  "I lost it somewhere down here."

  "A black sack wi' tiny teeth?" Broc said.

  "Teeth? A zipper? Yes! Have you seen it?"

  Broc moaned and slapped a palm to his brow. "Och! I searched it. There be no dirk, lass."

  "What do you mean you searched— Never mind. Did you find the secret compartment in the bottom?"

  Broc scrinched up his face. "Mayhaps ye best look," he said, and lit into a run, calling over his shoulder, "I'll fetch it. Wait here!"

  Karok lowered onto his rump as if suddenly exhausted. Shoulders slumped, head lowered, he stared off into space through an expression of bewilderment. Tears
blurred Taryn's vision as she closed the distance and slipped her arms around Karok’s neck.

  "It's been here all this time," she said. Tilting back her head to look into his eyes, she smiled and gently rubbed her knuckles along the bridge of his nose. Karok purred. "The dirk brought me here. I had no idea, Karok, it was what you've been looking for."

  In response, the great beast brushed his brow against hers, and sighed emotively.

  "Wha' does the dirk and a key have in common?" Reith asked.

  While Taryn explained the necessity of the key, Karok’s gaze pinged between Blue and Reith until, straightening, he swept Reith into a massive hand and deposited him next to Blue. Before either could react, Karok nudged them into each other’s arms.

  The fairy couple clung to each other and stared at the gargoyle with a mute question.

  "Tis a fair guess he wants you two thegither," Lachlan chuckled.

  Crimson stole into Blue's face. Reith tightened his embrace to prevent her from pulling away. "Ye canna ignore the wisdom o' a gargoyle," Reith said, mightily chipper.

  Roan laughed outright, and Lachlan joined in.

  "He doesn't know you as well as I do," she said, glaring into Reith's eyes.

  "Ye grand Gargoyleness!" Reith boomed. "Ma queen and I belong thegither, aye?"

  Karok grinned and offered a nod.

  "Aye," Reith beamed into her face, "we fit thegither like a proper glove."

  "Mismatched gloves at best," she sputtered.

  Broc ran into the chamber, straight to Taryn, and handed her the knapsack. Without wasting a moment, she flipped the bag upside down, opened an outer zipper, and stripped back the Velcro strips on an inner pocket. Holding her breath, she removed the dirk and held it out to Karok, whose eyes shone with tears as he beheld his long awaited key. He took it into a trembling claw then looked at Lachlan as if trying to convey his emotional turmoil.

  Lachlan stepped forward to close the creature's hand over the dirk.

  "I would no' exist in this time but for your key, Karok," Lachlan said, his tone denoting respect. "Twice this dirk has taken ma life. But as it brought Taryn here, as it has brought us all here, for tha', I will remember it fondly."

  Karok swallowed convulsively and pressed the key-holding hand over his heart. His eyes rolled heavenward and he released a gurgling mewl of thanks.

  Blue's chin quivered as tears pressed for release. Kissing the top of her head, Reith snuggled her in his arms.

  "Ah, Blue, he has awaited release a verra long time."

  "I don't want him to die," she sobbed.

  Broc smiled in understanding. "It isna dyin' as we know it. Karok?"

  The creature's expressive eyes shifted to Broc, serenity glowing on its face and softening the angular planes. A melodic gurgle echoed in the chamber. Taryn backed into Broc's embrace, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  Karok canted his head inquiringly, and she laughed. "For Broc, and for giving me the greatest adventure of my life."

  A rumbling sound came in response. Then, to the amazement of the other occupants, Karok laughed. Laughed with the glee of a child who awakens on Christmas morn to a multitude of treasures beneath an ornate tree. His wings danced on air, and he bestowed a sweeping bow of his head.

  The blade of the dirk glowed golden as his splayed talons held it flat against his chest. He looked in the direction of the standing shrine. Without further ado, he lumbered toward it, stopping when Broc called his name.

  Broc asked Taryn to give him a moment, kissed her cheek, and walked to where Karok waited.

  "We have maist times been cruel to one anither," Broc said, his voice raspy with emotion. He heaved a breath, his naked chest expanding. "I have no right to ask anythin' o' ye, Karok, but ask I will."

  Karok nodded, and Broc sucked in another breath.

  "Yer mate. Will ye tell her...." He turned his head aside, his throat constricting painfully. "Tell her," he continued, forcing himself to look into the gargoyle's eyes, "I...for the rest o' ma days...will regret ma actions tha' night. And...tha'...I wish ye both an eternity o' happiness thegither."

  Karok looked heavenward with a sad smile. His gaze lowered to Broc, his eyes misted. "She long ago forgave you," Karok said, as if speaking underwater. He smiled at Broc's stunned expression, but grew solemn when he continued, "I could not till now."

  "All these years," Broc said, stunned. He shook himself. "Ye never spoke!"

  "The treasure is yours."

  "I dinna want it!"

  Karok’s smile returned. "Do with it as you will."

  The gargoyle was nearly to the shrine when Broc caught up and placed a tentative hand on his arm.

  "Karok," Broc began, his voice quavering. "Ye dinna need to pass on."

  A look of poignant contentment glowed in the creature's eyes. "You will miss me?"

  Broc grimaced and released a nervous chuckle. "Guess I will. Tis...hard to imagine ye no' in ma life. We've shared this realm so verra long."

  Karok’s gaze shifted briefly to Lachlan, and a secretive smile quirked on his mouth. "I will remain here," he said, thumping Broc's chest. "And here." He tapped Broc's brow with a knuckle. "Your destiny lies elsewhere."

  Swallowing hard, Broc nodded. When Karok knelt before the shrine, Broc backed toward the waiting group, his movements slow. He flattened a palm over his heart in a vain attempt to alleviate its terrible ache.

  He realized with abstract sorrow, he was not ready to begin a new life. He was not ready to let go of the connection he had shared with the gargoyle these long, long years.

  Chapter 17

  Six hearts swelled with sorrow. Six pulses slowed. Six pairs of eyes grew moist.

  Karok knelt before his mate's shrine, the dirk pressed over his gladdened heart. He murmured incantations in the forgotten language of his clan, his crooned gurgling a bitter-sweet song to the observers. Karok bowed his head reverently, raised the gleaming blade and pressed his mouth to its sleek surface then slowly let his massive hands fall away. The dirk remained suspended, each jewel in the handle sparkling with an enchanted resplendency.

  Round and round the dirk began to spin, going faster, faster with each passing second. Pinpoints of lights matching the colors of the gems, reached out twenty feet beyond the dirk, each luminance pulsating with the cadence of the gargoyle's heartbeat.

  Karok released a delirious moan of satisfaction and tilted his face upward. He lifted his hands, palms upward, and chanted, his song reminiscent of the sounds of countless rivers and streams, of oceans and waterfalls.

  The chamber filled with golden specks of light. His eyes shut, Karok was oblivious. He rocked to and fro, chanting, his hands held out in supplication.

  A swirling ball of golden light the size of a baseball appeared ten feet away, level with Karok's face. Broc, his chest tight with a sudden feeling of panic, was about to lunge toward the gargoyle to stop his needless demise.

  Lachlan firmly gripped his arm, giving it a squeeze once, twice, in warning for Broc not to interfere.

  Dark eyes met dark eyes.

  The pressure in Broc's chest lessened. Something in the depths of Lachlan's eyes conveyed understanding, although how this man could fathom Broc's fear of abandoning Karok and this realm was beyond him. He didn't understand it himself. For better than two hundred years, his life below the Callanish Standing Stones was his only reality. He had long ago stopped wondering what his future held. Stopped fantasizing what kind of life he could expect once free. He didn't belong above. Now he didn't belong below.

  He simply didn't belong anywhere.

  A long inhalation filled his lungs with much needed air, and he felt his muscles relax. He had forgotten, briefly, that he wouldn't be facing a life above, alone.

  Lachlan's head turned and Broc followed his line of vision back to Karok.

  The most incredible joy filled Broc's heart. The swirling golden ball was large enough for Karok to fly through. He stood be
fore it, his face, which Broc once thought hideous, angelic in the golden light bathing it.

  His massive head swiveled and he smiled serenely at the group. His majestic wings lifted and spread out, and he cast off. The whoosh of his wings was like a heartbeat echoing in the chamber. As the sound dimmed, the vortex gradually closed until a pinpoint of light flicked off, sealing the afterworld the gargoyle had for two centuries, longed to join.

  A disquieting stillness and oppressive silence followed.

  No one moved or spoke, as if each were profoundly immersed in thought.

  Broc shook himself then walked to where the gargoyle had knelt moments ago. He stared down at the dirk lying at his booted feet, one ruby in the handle winking at him. The instant he palmed the weapon—the key—an electrical charge dispersed through his hand. He cried out in surprise. Before he could drop the dirk, it shot up and streaked through the air, its velocity producing an eerie, serpentine hiss.

  Broc's vision sharpened with preternatural accuracy, homing in on the dirk's intended target. His gaze met Lachlan's. Without breaking their visual lock, Lachlan sliced a hand upward and gripped the handle, stopping the dirk's razor tip a fraction of an inch from embedding in his heart. Broc's legs gave out and he fell hard on his rump.

  When several gasps rang out, he assumed it was from Lachlan's close call. To his chagrin, it was not.

  "Have the decency, mon," Lachlan scolded, tucking the dirk into his waistband, "to wear trews or keep yer legs thegither."

  Heat suffused Broc's face as he scrambled to his feet. The main focus of his mortification lowered her head, but the Faerie queen could not hide her grin from him. To calm the racing of his heart, Broc smoothed the front of his kilt, squared his shoulders, and closed the distance to stand before Lachlan, the man's intense, black eyes boring into his.

  "Ma apologies," Broc muttered. His gaze dropped to the dirk then crept up to stare Lachlan in the eye. "I no' be sure wha' confuses me mair; the weapon's intent...or ye catchin' it in time."

  A crooked smile appeared on Lachlan's mouth as he patted the dirk. "It and I share a long history."

  "So ye said." Broc's eyes briefly shifted to Taryn when she stepped to his side. "I would think ye wary o' it then."