by Hazel Hunter
The laird slowly nodded. “Aye. ’Twill not be spoken of.” He looked at each of the highlanders and their ladies, all of whom nodded. Gavin and Catriona both met his gaze and agreed as well.
“So then,” Bhaltair said. “With Cailean moving to the Gordon household, we’re in need of an official liaison between the conclave and the clan.”
Lachlan smiled at Gavin. “I wish to offer the post to you, McShane.”
That startled a laugh out of Gavin. “My lord, I’m no’ even a druid yet.”
“You’re druid kind, which counts,” Kinley told him. “You’ll get lots of on the job training, and we’ll need you here to help build the new settlement. We were just discussing it.”
Gavin looked at his lady. “I’ve missed a great bit of this talk, I think.”
“The Moon Wake tribe have the souls of men and women,” Catriona said, “but they cannae live so until they’re grown. They’ve also still the nature of the young in many ways. They’ll need older folk to look after them, and act in the place of parents when need be for the mortal world.”
“No one will believe that Cat and I had this many children,” Gavin pointed out.
“That’s why we want to help,” Kinley said. “The clan can’t reproduce or adopt mortal orphans. But a tribe of druid kids who know what we are, and would be happy to stay on Skye…perfect match.”
“Teren has spent much time together with my lady and me since he came,” Lachlan put in. “We’d be glad to help.”
“Your mother would not ask her own daughter to raise her,” Rachel said. “But the captain and I have been taking her to pick flowers by the loch. She’s a good match to our own quiet.”
“I…” Catriona began as emotion choked her voice. “I dinnae ken what to say.”
“If I may,” Gavin said. “I’ll ask a moment to speak with my lady.”
Gavin offered her his hand, and led her to the arbor.
“We’ve come full circle, Cat,” he said as he stopped beside the fragrant lavender. “That’s what you said the morning the rainbow came. You and I began among the flowers like this. Mayhap it was always meant to be.”
She nodded, and slipped into his arms.
He held her as he looked out at the loch sparkling in the moonlight. Between them the glow of their unborn child began to expand, as if he wanted to warm them both. Gavin drew back to look all over his lady’s lovely face.
“I’ve always wanted a hundred kids,” he said gravely.
“I grew up alone,” Catriona said softly. “I wanted three hundred.”
“We talked about starting our own tribe,” he reminded her. “We’ll no’ have to do that. And you’ll have a chance to boss around your mother for a few years, something I think every daughter secretly desires.”
“Then we’ll accept. Only ken that I have you, Gavin McShane.” Standing on her toes, she kissed him. “’Tis all I’ll ever want.”
“Aye, my sweet Cat. You are my world. Now come and let us make use of this arbor.”
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Glossary
Here are some brief definitions to help you navigate the medieval world of the Immortal Highlanders.
Abyssinia - ancient Ethiopia
acolyte - novice druid in training
addled - confused
advenae - Roman citizen born of freed slave parents
Ægishjálmr - the Helm of Awe, a magical sigil
afterlife - what happens after death
ALS - acronym for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease
animus attentus - Latin for "listen closely"
apotheoses - highest points in the development of something
Anubis - the ancient Egyptian god of embalming and the dead
Aquilifer - standard bearer in a Roman legion
arse - ass
auld - old
Ave - Latin for "Hail"
aye - yes
bairn - child
Baltic – Scottish slang for very cold
banger - explosion
banshee in a bannock - making a mountain out of a molehill
barrow - wheelbarrow
bastart - bastard
bat - wooden paddle used to beat fabrics while laundering
battering ram - siege device used to force open barricaded entries and other fortifications
battle madness - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
bawbag - scrotum
Belgia - Belgium
birlinn - medieval wooden boat propelled by sails and oars
blaeberry - European fruit that resembles the American blueberry
blind - cover device
blood kin - genetic relatives
bonny - beautiful
boon - gift or favor
brambles - blackberry bushes
bran'y - brandy
Brank's bridle mask - iron muzzle in an iron framework that enclosed the head
Britannia - Latin for “Britain”
brownie - Scottish mythical benevolent spirit that aids in household tasks but does not wish to be seen
buckler - shield
Caledonia - ancient Scotland
caligae - type of hobnailed boots worn by the Roman legion
cannae - can't
cannel - cinnamon
canny - shrewd, sharp
catch-fire - secret and highly combustible Pritani compound that can only be extinguished by sand
Centurio - Latin for “Centurions”
century - Roman legion unit of 100 men
chatelaine - woman in charge of a large house
Chieftain - second highest-ranking position within the clan; the head of a specific Pritani tribe
choil - unsharpened section of a knife just in front of the guard
Choosing Day - Pritani manhood ritual during which adolescent boys are tattooed and offer themselves to empowering spirits
chow - food
cistern - underground reservoir for storing rain water
claymore - two-edged broadsword
clout - strike
cohort - Roman legion tactical military unit of approximately 500 men
cold pantry - underground cache or room for the storage of foods to be kept cool
comely - attractive
conclave - druid ruling body
conclavist - member of the druid ruling body
conkers – horse chestnuts
contubernium - squad of eight men; the smallest Roman legion formation
COP - Command Observation Post
cosh - to bash or strike
couldnae - couldn't
counter - in the game of draughts, a checker
courses - menstrual cycle
cow - derogatory term for woman
Coz - cousin
craw - throat
croft - small rented farm
crucks - curved timber arches that support the thatched roof of a medieval cottage
cudgel - wooden club
cypher - a secret or disguised way to encode words
da - dad
daft - crazy
dappled - animal with darker spot
s on its coat
defendi altus - Latin for “defend high"
detail - military group assignment
dinnae - don’t
dirk – a long-bladed dagger
disincarnate - commit suicide
diviner - someone who uses magic or extra sensory perception to locate things
doesnae - doesn’t
dories - small boats used for ship to shore transport
dotterel - a small black and brown streaked wading bird
draughts - board game known as checkers in America
drawers - underpants
drivel - nonsense
drover - a person who moves herd animals over long distances
druidry - the practices of the druid faith
dung - feces
EDC - Every Day Carry, a type of knife
excavators - tunnel-diggers
fack - fuck
facking - fucking
falling vine - ivy
fankle – knot
faodail - lucky find
fash - feel upset or worried
fathom - understand
fere spectare - Latin for “about face"
ferret out - learn
festers - becomes infected
fetters - restraints
fibula - Roman brooch or pin for fastening clothes
filching - stealing
firesteel - a piece of metal used with flint to create sparks for fire-making
fisher - boat
fishmonger - person who sells fish for food
floor-duster - Pritani slang for druid
flummoxed - perplexed, bewildered
foam-mouth - rabies
fougou – a stone-walled vault built underground for storage and other purposes
Francia - France
Francian - French
free traders - smugglers
frenzy - mindless, savagely aggressive, mass-attack behavior caused by starving undead smelling fresh blood
fripperies - showy or unnecessary ornament
gannet - a sea-diving bird
Germania - Germany
god-ridden - possessed
goldies - chanterelle mushrooms
Great Design - secret druid master plan
greyling - species of freshwater fish in the salmon family
gut rot - cancer of the bowel
hasnae - hasn’t
heid doon arse up - battle command: head down, ass up
Hetlandensis - oldest version of the modern name Shetland
Hispania - Roman name for the Iberian peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain)
hold - below decks, the interior of a ship
holk - type of medieval ship used on rivers and close to coastlines as a barge
hoor - whore
huddy - stupid, idiotic
impetus - Latin for “attack"
incarnation - one of the many lifetimes of a druid
isnae - isn’t
itching pox - chicken pox
Janus - Roman god of duality
jeeked - extremely tired
Joe - GI Joe shortened, slang for American soldier
jotunn - Norse mythic giantess
justness - justice
kelpie - water spirit of Scottish folklore, typically taking the form of a horse, reputed to delight in the drowning of travelers
ken - know
kennings – compound expressions in Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meanings
kirtle - one piece garment worn over a smock
kona – Old Norse for woman
kuks - testicles
kyn-ligr – Old Norse for strange, wondrous
lad - boy
laird - lord
lapstrake - method of boat building where the hull planks
leveret - baby hare
overlap
larder - pantry
lass - girl
league - distance measure of approximately three miles
Legio nota Hispania - Latin name for The Ninth Legion
loggia - open-side room or house extension that is partially exposed to the outdoors
Losh – Scottish expletive meaning “Lord”
magic folk - druids
mam - mom
mannish - having characteristics of a man
mantle - loose, cape-like cloak worn over garments
mayhap - maybe
Meus caparum Romanus, impetus - Latin for “My Roman troops, attack”
milady - my lady
milord - my lord
missive - message
Moggy - Scottish slang for cat
mormaer - regional or provincial ruler, second only to the Scottish king
motte - steep-sided man-made mound of soil on which a castle was built
mustnae - must not
nattering - talking a great deal
naught - nothing
no’ - not
Norrvegr - ancient Norway
Noto - Latin for "Attention"
oak-bast - woven oak fibers
Optia - rank created for female Roman Legion recruit Fenella Ivar
Optio - second in command of a Roman legion century
orachs - slang term for chanterelle mushrooms
orcharders - slang for orchard farmers
ovate - Celtic priest or natural philosopher
palfrey - docile horse
paludamentum - cloak or cape worn fastened at one shoulder by Romans military commanders
parati - Latin for “ready"
parched - thirsty, dry
parlay - bargain
people of the black land - medieval term for ancient Egyptians
penchants - strong habits or preferences
perry - fermented pear juice
Pict - member of an ancient people inhabiting northern
pure done in – exhausted
Scotland in Roman times
pillion - seated behind a rider
pipes - bagpipes
pisspot - chamber pot, toilet
plumbed - explored the depth of
poppet - doll
poppy juice - opium
pottage - a thick, stew-like soup of meat and vegetables
pox-ridden - infected with syphilis
praefectus - Latin for “prefect”
prattling - talking too much and foolishly
Prefect - senior magistrate or governor in the ancient Roman world
Priapus - Roman god of fertility
Pritani - Britons (one of the people of southern Britain before or during Roman times)
privy - toilet
quim - woman's genitals
quinie – young woman
quoits - medieval game like modern ring toss
repulsus - Latin for “drive back"
remetch en Kermet - ancient Egyptians’ name for themselves
rescue bird - search and rescue helicopter
retting - a process of soaking fibers in water to soften and separate them
roan - animal with mixed white and pigmented hairs
roo - to pluck loose wool from a sheep
rumble - fight
salr - Old Norse for a house consisting of one room
sandies - mussels
Sassenachs - Scottish term for English people
Saturnalia - Roman festival held in December to honor the god Saturn
scunner - source of irritation or strong dislike
sea stack - column of eroded cliff or shore rock standing in the sea
Seid - Norse magic ritual
selkie - mythical creature that resembles a seal in the water but assumes human form on land
Sekhmet - an ancient Egyptian warrior goddess who is an arbiter of justice
semat - undershirt
seneschal - steward or major-domo of a medieval great house
shield-maiden – a Norsewoman who choses to fight as a warrior
shouldnae - shouldn't
shroud - cloth used to wrap a corpse before burial
>
silver darlings - herring
skald – storyteller
skelp - strike, slap, or smack
skin work - tattoos
skuddie – naked
smalls - men's underwear
SoCal - slang for southern California
solar - rooms in a medieval castle that served as the family's private living and sleeping quarters
spellfire - magically-created flame
spellmark - visible trace left behind by the use of magic
spew - vomit
spindle - wooden rod used in spinning
squared - made right
stad - Scots Gaelic for “halt"
staunch weed - yarrow
stele - a tall, narrow slab of stone or wood
stupit - stupid
sun blight - a toxic form of algae
Svitiod - ancient Sweden
swain - young lover or suitor
swived - have sexual intercourse with
taobh - Scots Gaelic for "Flank"
tempest - storm
tester - canopy over a bed
the pox - smallpox
thickhead - dense person
thimblerig - shell game
thrawn - stubborn
tincture - a compound made of ingredients dissolved in alcohol
’tis - it is
’tisnt - it isn’t
toadies - lackeys
tonsure - shaved crown of the head
torque – a metal neck ring
TP - toilet paper
traills - slaves
trencher - wooden platter for food
trews - trousers
trials - troubles
Tribune - Roman legionary officer
tuffet - low seat or footstool
turncoat - traitor
’twas - it was
’twere - it was
’twill - it will
’twould - it would
tyre – tire
Underground – Scottish subway system
Vesta - Roman goddess of the hearth
vind-áss - Orkney term for windlass, an apparatus used for moving heavy weights
vole - small rodent related to the mouse
wand-waver - Pritani slang for druid
warband - group of warriors sent together on a specific mission
wasnae - wasn’t
water elf sickness – a medieval-era disease now believed to be chicken pox, endocarditis, or measles
wee - small
wench - girl or young woman
wenching - womanizing or chasing women for the purposes of seduction
white plague - tuberculosis
