“Well, no, of course not when ye were amongst the Celtic gods in that circle.” He shook his head, clearly lost in his own mind as he paced and rambled on, wearing his white robes and holding his cane in the blink of an eye. “’Twas a sword made by the Norse gods yet allowed within a circle of Celts...” His eyes rounded, having clearly seen it all in her mind. “With a sacrificed unicorn no less!”
He kept shaking his head and pacing. “Yet ‘twas all there in one place with the magic of a Guardian Witch and an arch-wizard and a Claddagh ring and—”
“Adlin,” Milly exclaimed. She seemed to sense something because she stopped him and met his eyes. “What is it?” Her gaze narrowed. “What’s that pressing feeling I’m having?”
“Pressing feeling,” Julie whispered. “Like we’re running out of time...”
“Och, that’s it,” Adlin exclaimed, his eyes rounding on Julie. “I needed to connect with Grant!” He shook his head. “Or at least all he could share through ye and yer magic, lass.”
“And,” Milly prompted when he seemed quite pleased he had realized that.
“And what?”
“And what’s this damn pressing feeling, husband!”
“Och, right.” His eyes shot to the setting sun then returned to Julie. “We need to return to your stones.”
“The Calanais Stonehenge?” She shook her head. “Why, what’s going on, Adlin?” Hopeful when she shouldn’t be, her heart leapt in her throat. “Is it Tiernan? Is he—”
“We need to get to your stones,” he kept saying. “That is all I know.”
“The Stonehenge, then?”
“Aye,” Adlin confirmed. “The Stonehenge.” His gaze flew to the sun again. “Before the sun gets much lower or ‘twill be too late.” Grave, he shook his head. “’Twill be far too late.”
She nodded and looked to the ley-lines, locking onto the brightest one without giving it too much thought.
“I’ll do my best to bring you along, but I’m still fairly new at this,” she murmured, closing her eyes, envisioning the Stonehenge. Then she envisioned Tiernan’s gorgeous blue eyes. How they looked when they last met hers in the circle, then when they connected at the door in New Hampshire when he came for her, then further back still.
She remembered them meeting hers at the Stonehenge at Mystery Hill when she knew she’d fallen in love, then further back when he was a teenager making doe-eyes at her. Then further back to when he was a little boy, helping her collect sticks for kindling. Then when he was a toddler playing in the autumn leaves all the way back to...
Julie opened her eyes and gasped.
She wasn’t at the Calanais Stonehenge but at the Stonehenge in New Hampshire. She even stood in the same spot in front of the stone aligned with the summer solstice. Most importantly, though, she was doing what she had been doing that day.
She held Tiernan as an infant.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Her eyes met his at the precise moment the sun hit the top of the stone.
A ray of light cut across and hit them both as his eyes sparked with magic. She tried to keep her gaze with his, but the light became too bright. She closed her eyes to a flash of lightning only to find him vanished when she opened them again.
Instead, something was coming from the ray of orange light cutting over the stone.
Better yet, someone.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
NOTHING WAS MORE heartbreaking than watching Julie vanish into the stream of orange light leading her back to life.
Until that is, it led her back around to him.
Or so it seemed.
Yet she wasn’t moving, was she?
Even so, he saw her.
She was right there waiting for him...holding something.
Curious, he drifted toward her though he knew he should stay. But something about going to her felt like returning to himself. So he walked and walked, wondering what she was gazing at so lovingly until he heard the crackle of lightning over his blade.
She looked up, then squinted, closed her eyes as if blinded, then opened them again.
Close, closer, closer still, then she was right there.
Right in front of him.
“Julie,” he whispered, confused. “What are you doing here?”
“Tiernan,” she whispered back, tears spilling over as she stared at him. “Is that really you?”
“’Tis.” He touched her cheek. Something he never thought he would do again. She was real. Here. “Why are you back? Why are you not with David?”
“Oh my God, I can feel you,” she sobbed and embraced him. “You’re actually here.”
“Aye, right where you left me,” he murmured, holding her just as tightly.
That’s when he realized he wasn’t where she had left him. Not at all.
Rather he was at the Salem Stonehenge in New Hampshire.
“How did I get here?” he said, confused. “I dinnae ken.”
Moments later, the summer day faded, and the weather changed entirely.
It was winter again.
“We’re back.” She met his eyes. “Really back.” She glanced over his shoulder. “And the sword’s gone.”
She was right. It had vanished.
“You best get in out of the cold then, aye?” came Grant’s voice moments before his ghost appeared out of nowhere. “I think you’ll find things just as you left them.”
“Just as we left them?” Julie frowned at him. “Are you sure?”
“Aye, thanks to the Viking sword.” He seemed quite pleased despite his ethereal form catching on a gust of snowy wind before stabilizing. “’Tis as I’d hoped. Our ancestor’s magic is allowing time to pass as we need it to, which this time wasn’t all that much different than how it normally would have.”
“That's welcome news indeed.” Tiernan chanted fur cloaks onto him and Julie without a second thought. “So time passed in Scotland, but not here?”
“From what I can tell,” Grant confirmed. “Mayhap a few hours or so here.” He tapped his temple and winked at them. “Long enough for a certain lass to dream about my great-grandson at a certain Stonehenge.”
Julie nodded, clearly glad to hear that. “With any luck, Aidan will be waiting for Chloe when she arrives.”
Grant nodded, more pleased still.
“What about my sword, though?” Tiernan frowned between them. “And can someone bloody well tell me what’s going on already?”
So Julie did as they headed for the house only for Grant to point out that they might want to head somewhere else first. Going back to the colonial wasn’t the only way in out of the cold.
“I can just as well explain what happened from my end at MacLomain Castle.” Grant's eyes met Tiernan’s. “Your parents would verra much like to see you, lad.”
“But what if I can’t get back here like before?” Julie asked.
“I dinnae expect that you getting here will be a problem now,” Grant said. “Not since you were willing to sacrifice Tiernan for King David. A noble, selfless act that sealed the Calanais Stones off from the Disinherited, therefore, allowing you to travel through time more freely. At least from that location.” He appeared truly impressed. “You’ve made far greater progress in all this than you realize, lass. Just take a moment and feel it...understand it.”
Julie stopped and looked from Grant to the ley-lines. Then she glanced back in the direction of the Stonehenge before she looked toward the house.
More specifically, the old oak tree out front.
“I feel it,” she whispered and met Tiernan’s eyes. “Do you?”
First, he felt it within her mind then all around them. An unbreakable connection to the ley-lines he had not felt before. One of those lines led not only to the Salem Stonehenge but directly to the tree.
“There’s still darkness here, though,” Julie murmured. Her eyes turned back in the direction of the stones. “It’s faint, but there.”
“Aye, but ‘tis not as strong as it was be
fore,” Grant murmured. “Is it?”
“Nay,” Tiernan replied, sensing more. “The Disinherited are weakened and werenae able to track what just transpired betwixt us there.” He looked at Julie. “Though we have time and can now return without issue, ‘tis all right to stay here.” He took her hand. “Just as long as we’re together.”
It was still hard to believe he had been brought back to life and looked forward to hearing why as much as Julie clearly did. When she peered at the house, he knew she sensed what he did. Her friends slept soundly and were safe for now.
“No, it’s okay.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s go back to the castle. Your parents want to see you.”
“You sense them now, aye?” he said softly, sure of it. “Ma and da?”
“I do,” she murmured. “While I’d started to a little earlier, it’s been really strong since I hugged your father.”
“Aye.” Grant grinned. “’Twas a much-needed connection too. The final piece in bringing you two back together the way the good Lord intended.”
“He did intend such,” Tiernan murmured. “All the gods did.”
“Let’s go home, Tiernan,” she said softly. “Your family’s waiting for you.”
He liked that she called it home and hoped she meant it.
In fact, he would see her mean it. Right here. Right now. Too many moments had already gone by. Too much life left behind. But there was also life ahead, and he wanted it to be with her.
So rather than wait another moment, he fell to a knee, be damned the snowy ground.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
“You know what I’m doing.” He held her hand, fully aware that her ring's gem glowed continuously now with the color of their eyes. “I have wanted to marry ye for as long as I can remember, lass. Ye and only ye. Ye’re my closest friend and the love of my life.” He kissed the back of her hand, keeping his gaze with hers despite the swirling snow. “Nothing stands betwixt us anymore, Jules. So give me what I long for. What I feel like I’ve longed for since the beginning of time.” He looked at her with his heart in his eyes. “Marry me. Become my wife.”
Tears welled, and she nodded, clearly trying to speak but unable to find her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time having luck though her voice wobbled. “Of course, I’ll marry—”
That’s all she got out before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her long and hard. Eventually, he murmured into her mind, “I never thought I’d do this again. At least not in this life.”
“Me neither,” she murmured and deepened the kiss even more.
He had no idea how long they stood like that, simply relishing the sensation of being in each other’s arms again before she whispered into his mind, “I think we have a new audience.”
Only then did he realize she had shifted them back to the fourteenth century, and his castle. His parents were standing nearby, amused as they watched them fondly. Not surprisingly, they had already been filled in telepathically by Grant about everything, including Tiernan and Julie’s engagement.
“I’m sorry,” Julie started to say as she pulled away, embarrassed that she'd been caught in the act, but his mother cut her off.
“What for?” Ma grinned and looked between them before smiling at his father. Naturally, she referred to Tiernan and Julie's passionate kiss when her gaze returned to Julie. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s a great way to time-travel, my new daughter.”
Happy embraces were shared all around.
“Congratulations to you both!” Da beamed at them before he winked, as eager for grandchildren as ma. “Now ‘twill only be a matter of time before your wee ones arrive.” Before anyone could respond, his father embraced Tiernan again, holding on a little longer this time. “’Tis bloody good to have you home, Son. You gave us a good fright, but made us verra proud.” He looked between Tiernan and Julie. “You both did. Verra much so.”
“’Twas something else,” Tiernan replied, happier to see them than he let on. He might not have been gone long, but that didn’t dispel the fact he thought he’d never see them again. Any of them, for that matter.
Soon after, they were welcomed home by a clan who still didn’t know magic existed but were as content as they ever were.
“Welcome home, Cousin.” Ethyn clapped Tiernan on the shoulder. “I look forward to hearing about your adventure.”
“Are Cray and Marek still here?” Tiernan asked. Thanks to his magic being intact again, he knew the answer before Ethyn had a chance to respond. “They’ve returned to MacLeod Castle then.” He narrowed his eyes, sensing even more. “You all dreamt of the stones in Ireland, aye? An unknown lass beyond the fog? Mayhap even evil?”
“Aye, and it rattled our dragon kin something fierce,” Ethyn confirmed. “That's why they returned home so swiftly. To be amongst fellow dragons to try and figure things out until they heard from you.”
“Yet you dinnae seem all that rattled by your dream,” Tiernan observed.
“Nay.” Anticipation lit Ethyn's eyes. “’Twas quite the opposite for me.” He cocked his head in consideration. “I felt honored to be there...favored.”
Tiernan and Julie glanced at each other, having no idea what to make of that.
“’Twill be all right, Cousin,” Ethyn assured, grinning as they crossed the drawbridge. “’Twas a good experience.” He eyed Tiernan, noting the change. “So, you can sense your fellow wizards again, aye?”
“Aye,” he confirmed, understanding. “Yet you cannae sense me, aye?”
“Nay.”
“I think it takes time,” Julie said. “The more Stonehenges we get under our control, the better.”
“Which means better understanding what happened when we nearly lost wee David and did lose Tiernan,” Grant said, appearing out of nowhere as he was want to do. He met Tiernan’s eyes. “Which means understanding how you ended up here when you should be long gone.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“SO THE UNICORN did it?” She would have been more incredulous if she hadn’t seen the mystical animal with her own two eyes “I assumed it was a ghost like you, Grant? A symbol of the sacrifice?”
They sat in the MacLomain's great hall, enjoying a much-needed drink. It had been one hell of a journey emotionally, from losing Tiernan to knowing with certainty she would be spending the rest of her life with him.
“The unicorn was a symbol of the sacrifice made,” Grant conceded. “But ‘twas also much more. ‘Twas the protector of Scotland.” A knowing look lit his eyes. “And as you both already figured out helped a wee bit when it came to purity.” He winked at them. “Or lack thereof.” He shrugged a shoulder. “But above all, as I said, ‘twas ultimately protecting Scotland.”
When Adlin arched a brow at him that he may want to elaborate, Grant went on, his ethereal form catching on the faces on the mantle here and there, making them seem alive. Truth told, they were on occasion. MacLomain ancestors listened intently from the beyond via those many visages. She homed in on one friendly face she knew thanks to her magic. Grant's wife Sheila waited patiently for him to return to the afterlife.
“Whilst everything came together as it should to create the magic needed to resurrect wee David, including the beastie itself with the power of healing,” Grant looked at Tiernan and Julie, “’twas the length to which you two would go to see through your pledge, not just to this country but to each other, that warmed the unicorn’s heart for lack of a better explanation. Add in the Guardian Witch protective connection you made with Tiernan so long ago, ‘twas no wonder the beastie helped you.”
“Not to mention the unicorn had a wee bit o’ revenge on those who slayed him,” Adlin added. “For bringing you two back together will only aid in the fight against this unknown brotherhood. A brotherhood which no doubt has ill intentions toward the beastie’s beloved Scotland.”
“Verra true,” Grant agreed.
“So the Disinherited were trying to psyche us o
ut when they possessed me and said you’d already failed to see through your pledge,” she said to Tiernan. “Because you definitely saw it through despite breaking the rules in the beginning.”
“Aye.” He squeezed her hand, certainty in his eyes. “And they willnae be possessing you again.” He shook his head. “Not anymore.”
“No, not me,” she agreed, as certain as him. Yet she remained worried about her friends. “But maybe others.”
“Dinnae forget your friends have the power of the Claddagh ring behind them from the start,” he reminded. “That in itself may protect them.”
“I hope so,” she murmured, perplexed. “I'm curious about something, though.”
When everyone looked at her curiously, she went on.
“As far as I know, there are five more Claddagh rings to be worn by five of my friends,” she said. “Yet, I've only met five men with MacLomain blood that seem to be part of all this.” She cocked her head. “So who's the sixth guy? Who haven’t I met yet?”
“We wondered the same thing, lass,” Adlin said. “Because you are now with the fifth lad.”
“So what gives?” She looked back and forth between Adlin and Grant. “Who is my fifth friend meant for?”
“We dinnae know,” Grant said. “It may be a cousin more removed than immediate kin.”
“Has that ever happened before with a Broun?”
“Nay,” Adlin replied. His eyes twinkled as he looked at her and Tiernan. “But then just look at you two. So times are changing indeed.”
“Indeed,” Grant echoed.
She eyed the ghostly wizard, her mind back on what he had said about the unicorn. “So what’s this about warming the unicorn’s heart, Grant? What does that mean exactly? Is it something that will benefit my friends too? Help them out along the way?”
“I think by helping you, it has helped them,” he replied. “Not to say it might not make another appearance or two before all is said and done.” His gaze flickered between her and Tiernan. “As to precisely what it means to warm a unicorn’s heart? It means your love was so true it spoke to the mystical beastie on a level beyond that of a Guardian Witch and her protector.” His gaze went to her ring. “Even beyond the true love connection of the Claddagh ring.”
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