Though tears welled, David blinked them away and nodded, sadly used to this sort of news.
“See, ye really are verra courageous,” Tiernan praised. “I am verra proud to call ye my king.”
David stood up a little straighter, gratefulness in his eyes before he looked at the stones again. “Best that I get back then, aye? Best that I return to my warriors.”
“Aye.” Tiernan squeezed his shoulder gently, nodded once, and stood. “’Tis time to go.”
“Do you think it’ll be like before?” Julie said into his mind. “Once we step beyond the stones, we'll end up where we're supposed to be?”
“We can only hope.” He pointed out the stones. “Because like before, these look newer.”
“So, you think we traveled way back in time again?”
“Quite possibly.” He noted the sun. “And like before, the sun is getting ready to set.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She swallowed, her eyes worried as she put a hand to her stomach. “That feeling of dread’s returning, Tiernan.”
“All is well, though,” he assured. “Thomas died as he should, and the wee king remains alive.”
“I know,” she whispered aloud. “But something still feels off.”
“Let us walk beyond the stones then,” he said gently, convinced her magic still suffered the aftereffects of what had happened. Something he shared telepathically. “You controlled your magic for the first time to get us to David during the attack. Doing such almost feels like shock afterward. ‘Twill make things feel verra off.”
“Maybe.” She frowned. “It’s not so much a numb feeling of shock, though, but the same exact dread I felt last night. Which makes no sense at the moment.” Her worried eyes met his. “I shouldn’t feel dread, should I?”
“’Tis hard to know.” He tried to sense her magic and mayhap how she felt but was unable to. “This could verra well be normal when it comes to your particular magic, lass.”
She nodded but didn’t appear convinced. They tried to leave the circles only to find they couldn’t.
“What’s going on?” Her startled eyes met his. “We’ve never been unable to leave.”
“Nay.” He frowned and lifted his sleeve.
“There’s no line on your tattoo,” she began but stopped when the sun hit the top of a stone and an orange stream of light cut across his tattoo, pointing in a direction.
So they headed that way but were again stopped by an unseen barrier.
“I see something this time, though,” she whispered, squinting through the fog. “I see...”
“Oh, God,” she whispered, horrified. Her eyes welled, the color drained from her face, and she shook her head. “No...please no...tell me I’m not seeing that...”
Moments later, he saw it too.
Though still in the circle of stones, they were just beyond where they had been before in battle. The horse had vanished, leaving a clear view of what was left.
He and David lay dead on the ground where they had been killed.
Which meant they weren’t actually standing here. At least not in the physical form. Yet thankfully, they could still feel one another.
“No,” Julie cried. She pressed her face against his chest when he pulled her into his arms. “Tell me it’s some sort of trick. That the Disinherited are behind this.”
“I cannae tell you that, lass, and you know it.” He stroked her hair in comfort, seeing everything so clearly now. “I think we both know what has happened. What you have to do.”
“I don’t know jack shit,” she whispered into his mind, not wanting to frighten David any more than he already was. She met Tiernan’s eyes with defiance. “Don’t tell me you’re really dead. That we’re dead.”
“You’re not dead, lass.” He brushed his finger along her cheek tenderly. “I am.” He cherished her every feature while there was still time. “You are still alive, Julie.” He looked at David, hoping she understood. “As is one other of your choosing.”
Choked up with the very grief she had prophesied would come, she put a hand over her mouth and shook her head in denial.
“You face what you have to, no matter how fearful you might be.” He cupped her cheek and told her what she needed to hear. Because he already knew what he would do regardless of her decision. “No matter how much you worry about letting others down. You follow your light and do what you must. Do the right thing.”
“You,” Julie cried into his mind. “You’ve always been the right thing, Tiernan. From the very beginning.” She kept shaking her head. “Please don’t make me choose between you and him.”
“But you must.” His magic flared. His understanding only grew. “A sacrifice cancels out a sacrifice.”
Seconds later, she realized what he just had.
She saw the truth.
“The Disinherited sacrificed something on a tomb in Ireland.” Her eyes drifted to the one here. “And it took root on that very tomb.” She blinked, seeing what Tiernan saw. The dark magic Adlin and Grant had sensed as it blossomed on the rock and wrapped around the Guardian Witch magic already here. “What did they sacrifice that had that kind of power, though?”
The unicorn wasn’t eating anymore but stared directly at them.
Just like the Guardian Witches had when surrounded by these very stones.
“The unicorn,” she whispered aloud before remembering to speak within the mind. “As far as I know, unicorns aren't bad, though.” She frowned, confused. “So how could evil gain headway out of sacrificing one of them?”
“Because the Disinherited harnessed the power of the act itself,” Grant said softly, appearing beside the animal, more solid here. But then here was technically the afterlife. “For there is nothing more evil than sacrificing such a mystical animal, never mind that ‘twas done out of vengeance and greed.”
“That’s so sad,” she whispered, wiping away a tear. While he knew she felt for the animal, her tears weren’t for it but for what was coming. What she knew she had to do. “Grant...why are you here?”
“You know why he’s here, Jules,” Tiernan said softly, proud of her. “Because you’ve already made your decision.” He met her eyes. “You can save one of us. The other must be sacrificed.” He looked from David back to her. “And you know who that must be. You know who must be saved.”
“This isn’t fair,” she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “This isn’t how it's supposed to end.”
“But it is.” He brushed away her tears and cupped her cheeks. “This is how it was supposed to end from the verra beginning, lass.” He searched her eyes, wanting to stay with her as long as possible. Yet they were almost out of time. The sun was setting. “I’ll always be with you, Julie. My magic, my heart,” he brushed his lips across hers, “my verra soul.”
“I just can’t,” her lower lip wobbled, “this is too damn much.”
“You can,” he said firmly. “And you will.”
“But I’m your protector,” she said on a strangled whisper.
“And you have protected me well.” He pulled her into his arms one last time. “You got me where I needed to be to help protect my king and country. You’ve served me well, Guardian Witch.”
“Don’t call me that,” she mumbled against his chest, sobbing softly. “I don’t want to be called that anymore.”
“Yet ‘tis what you are, lass.” He tilted her chin until her eyes met his again. “My Guardian Witch.” He searched her eyes, hoping she saw, felt, how convinced he was of his own words. “You will find me again someday, Julie. In another life. Just like you did this one. Have faith in that. Have faith that we’re tied together now in a way we never thought possible.” He brushed his lips against hers again. “Let that bring you comfort.”
Before she could answer, he kissed her one last time with everything he felt then pulled away. He looked from the setting sun to her. “’Tis time, lass.” Bloody hell, this was hard. “’Tis time for you to do what you must.”
“What is happening?” David asked, clearly not understanding. Protected, mayhap, by Julie’s magic itself.
Her tortured eyes lingered on Tiernan before she dragged them away and offered David a warm, albeit teary smile. “It’s time to go back and continue ruling your country.” She held out her hand. “I’ll take you there if you like.”
David nodded and took her hand before he looked at Tiernan, more astute than he anticipated for one so young. “Ye arenae coming with us, are ye?”
“I’m afraid not, lad.” He rested a hand on David’s shoulder. “But I know ye will remain courageous and rule well, aye?”
David pulled his shoulders back a wee bit. “Aye.”
“The light comes,” Grant said softly. “’Tis nearly time, Julie.” His sad eyes met Tiernan’s, and he nodded. “’Tis time, lad.”
Moments later, the sun hit the same spot on the stone it had when the Guardian Witch’s power was at its greatest. When the ring had been created. A long stream of orange light shot from the stone to Julie and in turn, David.
“It looks just like the stream of light I saw when I held you at the Salem Stonehenge when you were an infant.” Tears continued running down her cheeks as her eyes met his one last time. “I love you, Tiernan. I’ll always...”
Sadly, he never heard the rest of what she said before she and David vanished into the light.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
GRIEF-STRICKEN, JULIE allowed Aidan to embrace her as Tiernan’s body was taken away.
He was gone. Truly gone. She could feel it bone-deep. Soul-deep.
“He’s really dead,” she whispered, crying. “I thought...maybe...”
She couldn’t get the rest out. Her grief was too consuming. Deep down, she had hoped by the grace of God, Tiernan would miraculously be alive like David had been when they returned, but no. The horse was gone, David was alive, and Tiernan lay dead at her feet.
Now she understood why he’d said the prophetic words ‘she would disappoint someone’ back at Edinburgh Castle while under the influence of magic. Because she had. Herself. What kind of protector was she that she couldn’t bring him back with her? That she couldn’t keep him safe? Alive?
She also now understood her own prophetic words about fearing he couldn’t follow ‘it’ back to her. It had been the stream of solstice light that had returned her and David. The light Tiernan couldn’t follow.
“I know ‘tis hard, lass,” Aidan murmured, having as much trouble as her coming to grips with Tiernan being gone. “’Tis impossible to believe...to accept.”
As it turned out, the fog had been so thick that no one saw who killed Thomas Randolph. They assumed it was the enemy, which made things considerably easier for Aidan. Not that he seemed all that thrilled. As Tiernan had surmised, he struggled with what he’d done, despite the fact that it had to happen.
“We must return to MacLomain Castle,” he eventually murmured. The same deep sadness she felt reflected in his eyes. But then he had lost a brother, hadn't he? “We must...tell his kin.”
“Oh, God,” she whispered and pulled back. “How am I supposed to do that?” She wiped away a tear, beyond heartbroken. “How am I supposed to tell Adlin and Milly their son’s gone? That, in the end, I couldn’t protect him?”
“You protected what mattered most to him, lass,” he said gently. “You protected David, his country, and most especially, yourself.”
“But I was supposed to protect him!”
“Protecting you is protecting him,” he replied. “You mattered more to him than life itself, and you know that.”
She did know that, but it didn’t make this any easier. Not at all. She was all twisted up inside. Unable to come to grips with him being gone. She could barely swallow, let alone breathe. Caught in a heartbreaking state of limbo. Strangely numb while still saturated in grief. This, she would have told Tiernan, was shock. Because if all her emotions were getting through right now, she wouldn’t be standing but curled up in a ball on the ground lost in despair.
“Lord, this hurts,” she whispered, her chest tight. “But not nearly as bad as it’s going to once reality truly sets in.”
There would be no more waiting anxiously for Tiernan to appear in New Hampshire. No more of that heart-soaring feeling she'd had when he finally showed up. She’d had no idea just how much a part of her he had become. Though it had only been a year and a half since she first met him, it felt like a lifetime of memories. He was her best friend. The love of her life. How would she go on without him?
“I know it hurts,” Aidan said softly. “But you’re not alone. Tiernan’s kin is your kin, Julie. Never forget that.”
She swallowed hard and watched as David’s retinue made their way back in the direction of Edinburgh Castle. With the chaos of men trying to come to the king’s aid, she’d only managed to give David a brief hug goodbye, assuring him he would see her again soon.
“Balliol’s troops have fallen back and shouldnae be a problem for a while yet,” Aidan said. “I will return with you and—”
“No.” She rested her hand on his forearm, met his eyes, and shook her head. “It’s your turn to watch over David, Aidan.” A strange sensation washed over her that she now recognized as magic. Magic that told her she and Tiernan had accomplished what they’d set out to do. “Chloe will be coming soon. She’ll help you.” She closed her eyes, sensing something before she opened them to his again. “The Calanais Stones are a safe place for MacLomain wizards now...a bridge built for what will likely happen next.”
When he frowned in curiosity, she went on. “The rock you and Chloe were trying to find each other around led somewhere...” She kept exploring the sensation until she understood. “The Ring of Brodgar Stonehenge.”
“Should I go there then?” he said. “Is that where your friend will be?”
“Likely...eventually,” she confirmed. “You have to follow David first, though.” She squeezed his forearm, making sure his eyes stayed with hers. “You have to protect him, Aidan. The rest will take care of itself.”
His brows furrowed. “You're sure, then?”
“Positive.”
Evidently, he trusted her because he didn't question her further only nodded in understanding and embraced her. “Let my kin know I’m well, aye? That my magic feels stronger now.” He pulled back and met her eyes. “And know that ‘twill be all right...they willnae blame you for anything, Julie. They love you.”
She offered him a wobbly smile, praying he was right. “Stay safe, Aidan, and thank you for coming along. For helping us out.”
“I wouldnae have been anywhere else.” He hid his grief well, but she still saw it in his eyes. “Tiernan was my best friend too.”
She nodded, blinking back fresh tears before she looked to the sky and ley-lines. Not surprisingly, the one leading to MacLomain Castle was brighter than all the rest. So she closed her eyes, envisioned the castle, then opened them again. She choked back a sob when she appeared at the very spot they had stood when she first saw the castle days before.
Not surprisingly, Adlin and Milly stood beside the oak as if waiting for her.
You can do this, Jules, Tiernan would have said. Face what you have to, no matter how fearful you might be. No matter how much you worry about letting others down.”
“I miss you so much,” she whispered.
She tried to draw on his strength but only felt a vast emptiness. It was incomparable. Impossible to describe. To go from finally feeling the kind of love and connection she shared with Tiernan to this terrifying chasm of nothing.
Walk, she told herself, but she couldn’t seem to put one foot in front of the other to go to his parents. She couldn’t close the distance and confirm that the fear in their eyes was justified.
But she had to.
For him.
For them.
“I owe you this much,” she whispered, finally finding the strength to go to them. To push the terrible tale past her lips and watch them embrace each ot
her in grief.
“We were right,” Milly whispered, sobbing. “We felt him go.”
Julie stood there, awash in her own grief, not sure what to say or do. How to comfort them.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Milly said softly, finally leaving Adlin to embrace Julie. “And you don’t have to comfort us. Not when your pain is as deep as ours, if not deeper.”
Grateful, she held on to Milly then embraced Adlin next only to feel a strange sensation wash over her. This time the sensation wasn’t quite her magic. Adlin pulled back with a confused look before light blue magic sputtered to life in his eyes.
“Grant was there when my son passed on, aye?” he murmured, his gaze widening in sudden disbelief. “And a...unicorn?”
“Yes.” She looked at him in confusion. “What just happened, Adlin? What was that between us?”
Because whatever it was most certainly sparked when they touched.
“My son...I think.” His eyes narrowed. “Through you...I think.”
“You think?” Milly said, incredulous. “You don’t know?”
“’Tis fluctuating, lass,” he murmured in explanation, eyeing Julie over as he tried to figure something out. “Where is the blade? Where is the sword our Viking ancestors gave Tiernan?” He tilted his head in question. “Did you give it to Aidan?”
“No.” She shook her head, thinking about it. “The last time I saw it, Tiernan had it.” She frowned. “Come to think of it, it wasn’t by his body when I returned either.”
“So ‘tis safe to say it wasnae stolen off his body whilst ye were in between.” Adlin’s brogue thickened with emotion. “That he indeed had it at the Stones.”
She nodded, more hopeful by the moment simply because he seemed to be. “Yes, but I don’t recall it doing anything special.” She shook her head. “No lightning on the blade or anything.”
A Scot's Pledge (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, #1) Page 18