Shades of Doon

by Carey Corp

  At the bend, the road forked leading to the village on the right and the start of the high road into the mountains to the left. As we approached, Duncan slowed Mabel to a walk. “Hmmm? Which shall it be?” The intimacy of his voice, pitched low and close to my ear, sent shivers rippling across my neck.

  Why would he want to go to the hunting lodge if our best chance of figuring out what had happened to Vee and I was joining the brain trust back at the castle? I leaned back against him and slightly off to the side so I could look up at his face and ask. He prefaced his answer with a pained smile. “To pretend — even if just for a little while — that nothing could ever separate us again.”

  He looked out toward the village with a frown. “Because I’m half mad with the need to lock you away in a tower where ye’ll be safe.” His dark, imploring eyes fastened on mine, starting a butterfly chorus line in my stomach. Although I never fancied myself as a cloistered princess, I could indulge in a little cosplay for my prince’s sake. “Humor me and say we’ll go — if not at present then soon.”

  “Okay. Soon.” I promised, before straining upward to plant a kiss on his jawline. He responded by tipping his face down to capture my mouth with his. The kiss wasn’t sweet. It was rough and desperate, like we were both trying to hold on to the other person to keep the moment from slipping through our grasp. Which happened anyway as the horse beneath us reared up.

  Duncan immediately broke off the kiss and pulled at her reins. Ears pinned flat, she bared her teeth and tossed her head in annoyance. “Mabel!” Duncan admonished. “What’s gotten into ye?”

  Her tail swished back and forth as she snorted, stamping her feet. Her owner looked at me with chagrin. “Mayhap, she’s a wee bit jealous o’ you.”

  “Ya think?” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. In her defense, she did have him first. But she was going to have to deal with the fact that he was mine too. And I wasn’t going anywhere — at least, not if I could help it.

  With a sigh, Duncan reluctantly steered Mabel toward the village of Doon. “I guess I’ll just have to content myself with sleeping at your doorstep.”

  Just like at the cottage in Alloway, when he’d slept in the hallway in front of my room . . . I’d nearly forgotten about that. At the time I’d assumed that he’d been trying to keep me on lockdown because he was following orders. “Why did you do that? Sleep in the hall in front of my door at Aunt Gracie’s?”

  “I desired to be as close to you as possible.” He chuckled softly. “That was a wretched night.”

  “Because the floor was so uncomfortable?”

  “Nay. Because you weren’t nearly close enough. Plus, it was the first time ye’d been out of my sight since our reunion. The separation was so unbearable, I couldna sleep.”

  “I was out of your sight when you took a shower at my apartment.” That had been unbearably torturous for me, but I wasn’t about to admit to it.

  “That was wretched too. There wasn’t enough cold water on the planet to numb me to your presence.” He guided Mabel around the outskirts of the village, clearly in no hurry to catch up to his brother and Vee. “I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you in Chicago that I never wished to be parted again. I couldna bear it.”

  Exactly how I had felt. Whenever he left my sight I’d been plagued with irrational fear that I was dreaming and would wake up at any moment to find myself alone in my studio apartment. If Duncan was my home, I was his heart. Without the other, we would cease to function. That was the point of the Calling, I supposed. A gift from the Protector, revealing the person who was not only our other half but the one who would challenge us in the best ways possible to grow into the people we were destined to be.

  Not consciously thinking about my words, I blurted out, “What do you think about Vee and Jamie getting handfasted?”

  Geez! I sounded like a desperate girlfriend in Bye Bye Birdie. Did you hear about Hugo and Kim? They got pinned, the lucky ducks. I sure wish it would happen to me.

  “Aye,” Duncan said evenly so that his tone betrayed nothing. “I think it suits them.”

  “Not that I’m jealous — ’cause I’m not.” I immediately started backpedaling so Duncan wouldn’t think that I was fishing for a commitment. “I’m just making conversation, since it’s a fairly recent development.” Shut up, Kenna.

  Duncan brought his horse to a stop. The front gates of Castle MacCrae loomed just ahead. Carefully dismounting, he stood looking up at me, his soul bared in the depths of his chocolate-brown eyes. Taking my free hand, he placed it flush over his heart. “Mackenna, I am committed to ye in every way a lad can be committed to a lass. Ye need never doubt that.”

  “I don’t.”

  He blinked up at me, love radiating from his eyes. “What is it, then?”

  I shrugged. “I guess I’m just afraid. There are so many things that could separate us. What if I get sucked back to the modern world? Or something happens to you?”

  “Shhh.” His hands circled my waist, and he helped me to dismount. As soon as I was on solid ground, he gently captured my chin and tipped my face up toward his. “I dinna believe we’ve come all this way just to be at the end of our story. I trust that we’ve many wonderful chapters ahead.”

  This time when his lips met mine, the kiss was soft, as if I was fragile — no, not fragile, precious. He slowly pulled back, his fingers cupping my jaw as he pressed his forehead against mine, and his eyelids fluttered shut. I closed my eyes as well, hoping we could prolong the moment forever. Which lasted all of about five seconds before Mabel butted me in the side and nudged us apart with her freakishly hard head.

  Like a jealous house pet, the mare positioned her body between us. As my boyfriend took her reins, she gleefully flicked my cheek with her whip-like tail.

  Snicker all you like, Horseface. This is only round one.

  If it came to a livestock showdown, I was fairly certain Elsie and the whole bovine community would have my back. We’d go all West Side Story on Mabel before she had a hope of rallying her equine posse.

  Horses and cows as Sharks and Jets made me remember this great gender-bending production of the Bernstein musical I’d seen at the Windy City Players. The star-crossed lovers, Antonia and Mario, instead of Tony and Maria, were meh, but the girl who’d played Riffy had blown me away.

  Duncan firmly forced Mabel to the outside so that he could walk between his two girls. “What are ye thinkin’ about?”

  “Chicago. I wish circumstances had been different. I would’ve loved to show you around.”

  “Do ye wish you were back in the modern world?” His words were light, but there was a wariness in his eyes.

  “No,” I replied without hesitation. “But there are things from my old life that I would’ve loved to share with you.”

  Duncan wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer. “Ye still can. Tell me about them — and I will cherish every detail.”

  I had no doubt that he would . . . but no amount of words would be the same as him experiencing my world first-hand.

  Flanked by the princes and Eòran, Vee and I wound our way through the castle to the appointed meeting spot. When I stepped into the council chamber, eight sets of familiar eyes greeted me. Our little Scooby Gang had grown. Although I had some reservations about more people joining our group, I had the feeling we were going to need all the help we could get.

  As well as Fergus and Fiona, Doon’s happy newlyweds, four of the Destined had joined our inner circle. Typically the Destined were called to Doon for love, a soul mate waiting for them on the other side of the Brig o’ Doon. But during the last Centennial a few months ago, an unprecedented number of individuals had been Called from the modern world because the kingdom had need of their skills — something that, if you really pondered it, felt both troubling and reassuring.

  Of the four newcomers in the council room, only Emily had been Called to Doon for love, and unfortunately her soul mate had been the first victim of the zombie fungus. An
alisa had been called for her unique-yet-questionable criminal talents. Adam had an extensive background in environmental science, which had proved invaluable in figuring out the nature of the limbus. Oliver Ambrose, seated next to him, was the other scientist — a mechanical engineer, to be exact. And although I didn’t understand what he did, he was crazy smart. Vee referred to him as the Tony Stark of the Destined, but even with his unruly dark hair and manscaped goatee, I failed to see any resemblance to Robert Downey, Jr.

  The final additions to the gang were the oldest Rosetti boy, Giancarlo, who according to Duncan was fearless with a sharp strategic mind, and his little sister, Gabriella.

  As soon as Vee cleared the doorway, Gabby rushed her. “We’re so glad you’re back, Your Highness — I mean, Vee — Veronica.” The force of the hug sent Vee stumbling backward into Jamie, who clasped her arms to keep her from toppling over.

  Mortified, Gabby simultaneously let go and hopped back. She had attached herself as Vee’s lady-in-waiting and doted on her queen with something akin to hero worship. She always reminded me of a puppy, due to her gangly body and unchecked enthusiasm. Gabby tucked a wayward lock of blonde hair behind her ear and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Veronica — I mean, Your Highness. Please pardon my behavior.”

  My best friend chuckled self-consciously. “Vee’s fine. And there’s nothing to apologize for.” Placing a hand on Gabby’s back, Vee diplomatically guided her to the table. “Why don’t you take a seat so we can get started?”

  Eòran stood dutifully by the closed door as Vee settled herself at the head with Jamie to her left and me to her right. Duncan sat on my other side. I could smell his fragrance of summer sunshine and fresh leather as his fingers twined with mine under the table. It felt soothing to have him so close.

  An empty chair remained between Gabby and Fiona. Vee nodded to it, but before she could get her question out, the door opened. The oldest Rosetti sister, Sofia, burst into the room. Hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, she stared at our little gang with bright, feverish eyes. “Sorry! I wasn’t going to come, but then . . .” She looked helplessly around the room until her eyes found Fiona, who gave her an encouraging nod. “I thought I might be of use.”

  Glancing between Sofia and Fiona, I sensed some unspoken agreement. Fiona continued to smile, saying, “I asked Sofie to come. Thirteen is an unlucky number for a council and I have a feeling that she has much to contribute.” Fiona tapped her temple, indicating her gift — her sense of the supernatural world. In my experience, if Fiona had a feeling, it would undoubtedly come to pass.

  Vee indicated the empty chair. “Of course. You are most welcome, Sofie.”

  As Sofia took her seat, I noted the change in her eyes, a nearly manic determination to engage in her surroundings. A definite shift from the lackluster girl I’d seen at the céilidh.

  As soon as Sofia settled, all eyes turned toward our end of the table. Vee cleared her throat nervously, her eyes darting briefly to Jamie for reassurance before facing the group. “How much does everyone know about what happened?”

  “Jus’ that you and Mackenna went missing,” Fergus replied.

  “Aye,” echoed Eòran from the far side of the room near the door. “And ye weren’t nary ta be found.”

  “Yes, we — that is, well, we’re not exactly sure . . .” Vee began and then trailed off cryptically. “I mean, we know what happened, but it’s just . . .”

  “Oh, for the love of Lerner and Loewe, out with it already. We got sucked out of Doon,” I explained.

  The table erupted in reactions as Vee’s head jerked my direction. “Kenna!”

  “Well, we did,” I shot back. “And you know I hate suspense. If you didn’t want me to blurt it out, you should have said something.”

  “I was trying to.”

  Giancarlo Rosetti held up his hands, urging the room to quiet down. “Why don’t you start at the beginning,” he suggested. “Sofia, would you please take notes?” He indicated a black leather notebook, a metal pen that looked similar to something Vee had used during her brief calligraphy obsession, and a bottle of ink in the middle of the table.

  Sofia eagerly snatched up the book. “Sì, Giani,” which she pronounced Johnny. She dipped the tip of the steel pen into the ink and nodded at Vee and me. “Continue, please.”

  “From the beginning,” Fiona reminded us.

  I slid a sidelong glance at Vee, who raised her brows indicating that I should finish what I started. Letting go of Duncan’s hand so I could better explain, I started over. “Fine. Vee and I were shopping in the village — browsing for accent pieces for my room — we were thinking jewel tones. We bought some candles and pillows, and I picked up some new pairs of socks. When Eòran took the bags to the carriage, there was a popping sound, and a whirring — like in a movie.”

  “Kenna,” Vee interrupted, stopping me with a small frown.

  “Oh, right, most of you don’t know what a movie is. It’s like one of Calum the storyteller’s Scottish legends — only real. Not that movies are real, because they’re not. They’re fiction — except the ones based on true stories. But the point is that this didn’t feel real — it was like something from a made-up story — except it really happened to us. Which makes it surreal. Right?”

  Vee placed a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe we should back up. The day before we got — uh — sucked out of Doon, we saw something strange. In the middle of the tournament, we saw cars — transportation vehicles from the modern world.”

  Jamie’s brow furrowed as he leaned toward Veronica. “What?”

  Calmly, Vee blinked at him. “I didn’t understand what it meant, or if it meant anything. The hallucination came and went so quickly that I doubted my own senses. I thought maybe I’d imagined it . . . except Kenna saw it too.”

  I shook my head up and down to corroborate her story. “We thought it was PSTD — post-stress trauma disorder or something.” My fingers sought Duncan’s under the table. “If we thought it meant anything serious, we would’ve told you. Truly.”

  Duncan squeezed my hand in reassurance. “I believe you, woman. We both believe you, right, brother?”

  Jamie glowered at his little brother before refocusing on Vee. As soon as he did, his features softened and he took her hand in his. “Aye. O’ course I believe ye. But I wish ye would’ve told me.”

  “I was going to,” she murmured “but then . . . we were gone.”

  “Can you tell us about that?” Oliver’s quiet voice cut through the intimacy of the moment. “Where you were, time of day, what exactly you experienced, and anything else strange that might have happened directly before or after the event.” He and Adam were also taking notes, but with mechanical pencils that they must have brought with them when they crossed the bridge.

  Vee let go of Jamie’s hand and steepled her fingers on top of the table in front of her. “Like Kenna said, we were shopping in the village. We ducked into the backstreet behind Dinwiddie’s Leather Shop for some confidential girl talk.” She cast an apologetic glance at Eòran. “When we reached the other end of the alley and were about to step back onto the street, everything went dark. I felt a sensation like I was being pulled by my guts through space. Then with a pop, I was back on the street corner. Except instead of Doon, Kenna and I were standing on a sidewalk in the middle of Alloway.”

  “Incredible.” Gabby’s breathless voice mirrored the delight in her face. By the look of her, you’d have thought we’d traveled to Oz or Narnia instead of the plain old modern world. “Then what happened?”

  With a shrug, Vee continued, “We went to Dunbrae Cottage for some supplies.”

  “After Vee puked her guts out — in the street, right in front of a cop,” I added, earning me a sharp poke in the ribs with her elbow.

  Son of a Sondheim!

  I started to give my friend the stink eye when she mouthed safe room. That’s right — she wanted to give Jamie the truth in pieces so he didn’t lock her up like Rapunzel. Visions of Vee
singing about winding and binding and minding her hair filled my brain, so it almost didn’t register when Emily brushed her bangs out of her eyes and asked, “Were you feeling bad again, Your Highness?”

  “We were both a bit out of it,” I sputtered, noting the way Jamie’s eyes narrowed at Vee as well as the way Duncan’s lips pressed flat as he observed his brother’s silent reaction. Knowing that we would both have some ’splaining to do in private, I added, “Getting sucked out of one world into another takes a lot out of you.”

  “Technically,” Adam corrected, pushing up his glasses on his nose while making notes, “it’s the same world. Just different dimensions.”

  Oliver nodded. Tapping Adam’s paper, he said, “I wonder if we might borrow the Rings of Aontacht for a couple of days in order to test them in various locations around Doon.”

  “Not goin’ to happen.” “Out of the question, lads.” Jamie and Duncan answered at the same time, speaking over on another.

  Both scientists finally looked up, completely startled by the vehemence of the MacCraes’ reactions. Oliver frowned in confusion while Adam cocked his blond head to the side like he was trying to figure out an alien species. “But there’s much we could potentially learn by studying the rings and their interaction with the environment. Even if we could borrow them for — ”

  “Nay.” Jamie cut Adam off. “The only reason the lasses are here with us now is because of those rings. They’re no’ to take them off. Under any circumstances.”

  “Aye,” Duncan echoed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. The only thing more formidable than the MacCrae brothers at odds with each other was when they were in agreement. The poor science nerds never even stood a chance. And honestly, as long as I was wearing my uncle Cam’s ring I didn’t feel completely helpless. If I got sucked out again, I had a means of getting back across the Brig o’ Doon.