by Jo Jones
Still, Guthrie seemed troubled, unsure. “But…what if she’s no’ willin’ tae forgive me?”
Darach considered Guthrie’s words, saw his pain, and suddenly, sensed the truth. “Could it be ’tis no’ her forgiveness ye’re needin’, laddie, but yer own?”
In that instant, something significant shifted inside Darach, something he knew he needed to examine, but he dinnae dare stop now, to do it. He watched Guthrie’s surprise turn to understanding, then to resolve. Several minutes passed as he took long, uneasy breaths. “Och! ’Tis a strange notion,” he finally said, “letting go of so much.” A slow smile softened his face. “And an even stranger sensation.”
Darach could almost see the layers peel away and a light gently begin to glow around Guthrie. Smiling, the specter opened his mouth to say something, glanced over Darach’s shoulder, and staggered back.
At the same time, tiny hairs on Darach’s neck raised, sending a shudder down his spine.
“ ’Tis my opinion yer last words, are equally significant for yerself, number 74. Shall I repeat them? Let’s see…‘Could it be, ’tis no’ her forgiveness ye need, laddie, but yer own?’”
Soncerae! Darach whirled. “What…what are ye doing here?”
Soni pouted, prettily. “ ’Tis good tae see ye too, 74.”
“I thought…but, the day isnae over yet.” Darach’s comment sounded peevish, even to him. Ashamed, he acknowledged her with a respectful bow. “My apologies, Soni. ’Tis verra good tae see ye.”
Soncerae smiled. “I suppose I am a bit early, but I had…um…a couple of other errands in the neighborhood, so...” As she spoke, a hooded, cloaked figure appeared beside her.
Was that one of the twin witches who’d been at his departure from the moor? But, why only one this time?
Soncerae wiggled her fingers and the hooded cloak fell away. At first, Darach thought the figure had disappeared altogether, but ’twas no’ true. The ghostly form of a young woman hovered beside Soni, eyes locked on Guthrie.
“Keita!” Guthrie cried as the two spirits moved toward one other. “I cannae believe ’tis really ye. ’Tis finally ye!”
“William,” she whispered, flowing into his arms. “How I’ve missed ye.”
“What kept ye so long, love?” Guthrie agonized. “The waitin. ’Twas almost beyond bearin’.”
Keita pulled back a little. “Me? ’Tis been ye that I’ve waited for, William.”
The big warrior’s brows knifed together. “What mean ye, by that? I’ve been in agony waitin’ for ye tae come for me. I’ve prayed daily, for yer return, for yer forgiveness.”
Keita put her ghostly fingers to Guthrie’s cheek. “ ’Twas no’ my forgiveness we’ve all been waitin’ on, my love, but yer own. Before I could come, ye had tae forgive yerself, in order tae make room for all the love yer family has tae give ye. ’Twas no room before, when yer heart was filled with such self-contempt.”
“Ah, love, ’tis daft, I’ve been.” He pulled her close, then instantly reared back again. “The bairn?”
“She waits for us,” Keita assured him.
Guthrie beamed his pleasure. “A lass! I’ve dreamed of a lass as brave and honest as…” he nodded toward the door, “that one.”
Darach looked where Guthrie had indicated and gasped as Emily, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, waved timidly from inside Tessa’s tight grasp. He’d been so caught up in Guthrie’s and Keita’s reunion, he’d failed to notice Tessa and Emily’s arrival. How long had they been there? Although Emily seemed enchanted despite her wariness, Tessa looked completely stricken. She’d backed them up against the wall, and beneath her flow of dark hair, her wide emerald eyes appeared stark in a face drained of color. Her appearance, almost as translucent as the actual ghosts, alarmed Darach.
“What are you doing here?” he rushed toward them. “What happened? Is something wrong?”
“We…had a flat tire.” Tessa’s voice, barely audible, sounded hollow, as she stared trans-like at Soni and the two ghosts.
“And, we had to walk back,” Emily added. “It took forever! See?” She stuck out a foot to display a mud-crusted shoe. “Aunt Tess was upset ’cause the rental car man said everything was good.”
When Soncerae cleared her throat and lifted her shoulder in a dainty shrug, Darach tossed her an accusatory glare before turning back to Tessa. “Are ye okay, Tess?”
Tessa’s anxious look skittered from Soni to the ghosts and back to Darach, as if expecting him to explain away a scary prank. “What is this?”
“Who is that?” Emily asked simultaneously, pointing wide-eyed, at Soni. “Why’s that lady wearing a cape? How does she make that green stuff floating around the bottom, swirl around like that?” Pulling away from Tessa’s grasp, she leaned closer to Darach, her brown eyes full of uncertainty. “She kinda looks like a witch, doesn’t she? Do you think she is?”
Darach cast an uncertain glance at Tessa as he knelt to answer Emily’s questions. “Aye, lass. But she’s a verra good witch. Ye ken the difference, dinnae ye, Emily?”
“Yes,” Em responded, thoughtfully. “There’s a good witch in Wizard of Oz, who helped Dorothy get home.”
Darach’s heart tripped. “Well, that’s exactly what Soncerae is here tae do. She’s going tae help Jack get home.” He looked up at Tess. “And me, tae…where I belong.”
Tess, seemingly caught somewhere between shock and disbelief, dinnae appear to have heard him. She stared first at Soni, then at Guthrie and Keita, as if she could actually see them. “They’re…” She swayed, blinked, shook her head. “Impossible.”
Darach stood, steadied her. “Och! Ye see them, then?” Despite the scare Tessa had received, he was inordinately pleased. “They’re real, Tessa. Real spirits, ye ken.”
“They’re spirits,” she repeated, shakily. “But, not her.” Tessa said, faintly, indicating Soni. “Because she’s a…witch?”
“Aye, and as mortal as ye are. ’Tis Soncerae. Ye’ll recall I mentioned she’d be coming for me.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Dinnae fash, Tessa.” Darach soothed. “ ’Tis all been a fright for ye, I ken that, but mayhap Soni granted ye the gift of sight, so ye might meet William Guthrie and his Keita before she takes them away.” Darach tipped his head and studied Tessa. “Or is it that ye see them because ye’ve finally begun tae believe what young Emily’s been tryin’ tae tell ye, all along?”
Before Tess could think clearly enough to form a reply, Emily yanked on Darach’s sleeve, pulling him down to her level. “Who is that lady with Jack?”
“ ’Tis Keita. Yer grandmother wrote of her in her diary. Remember?”
“But, Keita died.”
“Aye.” Darach nodded. “She did. And went tae Heaven. But when William, her husband—who you call Jack—died, his spirit was trapped, right here, in this house. So, Soncerae brought Keita’s spirit back tae help William find his way home, tae Heaven. Does all that make sense?”
Tessa couldn’t shake the sensation that she was somewhere on the outside looking in as she desperately struggled to accept such a bizarre story. She watched Emily, her little face scrunched in concentration, work to tie all the pieces together in her mind.
Suddenly, before Tess could grab her, Em darted across the room, stopping just short of Soni’s swirling mist. Panicked, Tess started after her.
“Wait,” Darach cautioned. “Dinna fash. She’s fine.”
Torn, Tessa hung back, wanting to trust Darach’s word, but the need to protect Emily raged through her.
“Hello,” Em said hesitantly. “I’m Emily. Darach says you’re a good witch. Good witches can do magic, too, can’t they?” The trembling anticipation in her voice tugged at Tessa’s heart.
Soncerae’s warm smile lit up her eyes. “Aye. A bit.”
“You brought Keita back from Heaven, to be with Jack? With William, I mean?”
“Well…yes. Just temporarily, ye ken. So, she could help William find his way home.”
<
br /> Emily beamed, almost vibrating with excitement. “Then you can bring my mom and dad back, too! Will you? Please?” She twisted her fingers together and despite her obvious struggle to stop it, her chin began to quiver. “I miss them so much!” Her voice broke on the last two words. “And my grandma and grandpa?” she managed to add, on a sob.
Her request ripped Tessa’s heart open and when she tried to go to Emily, Darach grasped her arm and pulled her back. “Nae, love,” he whispered. “Ye cannae protect her from this.”
If Tessa’s heart hadn’t bled before, she knew it did now. “Let go!” She tried to pull away, to control the sob erupting from her throat. “She needs me.”
“Nae. She needs the truth, and for ye tae be strong with her. No’ for her.”
Tessa tried to swallow the burning lump in her throat, but it wouldn’t dislodge. She wanted to trust Darach, but she needed to protect Emily. It took all her strength to stand there. To allow Emily to experience the pain and disappointment Tessa knew was coming.
Soncerae’s cloak billowed around her as she crouched in front of Emily and brushed a finger down Emily’s cheek. “Aww, sweeting, ye’ve suffered much. I ken ye miss yer parents and grandparents, sometimes beyond bearin’, just as I’m sure they miss ye. But I dinna have that kind of magical power. ’Tis beyond what any amount of magic witches and wizards have, tae accomplish such a thing. Ye must understand, lass, Keita was only granted a verra narrow bit of time tae come, and only for the savin’ of William’s soul, ye ken? Her time is already runnin’ out. ’Tis nae more than a handful of minutes in mortal time.”
Soni wiped a trail of tears from Emily’s cheeks. “But I’ll tell ye this. I’m sure yer parents wish ye tae know that if ’twere at all possible, they would most certainly be here with ye. But they’re watchin’ over ye, every day, ye ken? So, they’ll see ye grow intae the wonderful person they already know ye tae be. And ye can be sure they’ll be there with ye through every wonderful experience. Even through the hard times, like this one. And, they’ll be waitin’ for ye, when ’tis time. But first, they want ye tae experience all the wonderful things life has tae offer. Will ye promise tae try tae do that, knowin’ that’s what they’d wish of ye?”
Emily pressed her lips tight to still her quivering chin and knuckled away her tears. After several moments she hiccupped and nodded. “I’ll try. I promise.”
Soncerae winked as she rose, nodding her approval. “I kenned ye were a brave lass.”
Tessa waited, her heart swollen with both pain and pride, expecting Emily to come to her for comfort. Instead, she walked toward William and Keita.
“I’m happy to meet you, Keita,” Emily said, her voice still a little ragged with emotion. “I wish you could’ve brought your baby.” She leaned toward Guthrie, as if to impart a secret. “She’s really pretty, Jack. I mean…William.” She smiled then, and Tessa finally released the breath she’d been holding. “I’m glad you get to be with your family, again,” Emily added before looking back at Tessa. “See, Aunt Tess? They really are, real!”
While Tessa’s eyes and ears confirmed they were real, her head still argued that it couldn’t be true. She’d never believed in ghosts or witches, and especially not in the ability to move between realms of existence, and yet…there they stood, right in front of her, looking at her as if she was the one out of place.
It made so much more sense that she’d finally succumbed to the pressure and loss she’d suffered over the last several months, than what she saw before her. But there stood Emily, safe, sound, and completely comfortable chatting with two ghosts, like long-lost friends at a back-yard barbeque.
Slowly, one reluctant concession after another, against everything she’d ever believed in, she had to admit Darach hadn’t lied, after all. He’d told the truth, and these people—the witch and the spirits—truly did exist.
Tessa focused on deep, steady breaths as she finally accepted the unacceptable and inched her way into a new reality.
Suddenly, the trepidation churning inside her at such a possibility was overshadowed by the realization that if Darach had been speaking the truth this whole time, then his declaration of love was genuine. She breathed that in. Wanted to lock the joy of it inside her heart.
Darach loved her!
Just as she began to accept the wonder of him loving her, her stomach dipped again, turning over with the understanding that if his story and his love were true, so was his claim of being a ghost, along with only having two days of mortality.
And the lovely young woman with the strange green mist swirling above the hem of her cape, was indeed here to take Darach away. Forever.
Tessa turned to Darach, still beside her, and searched for any sign of reproach on his face, or in the sky-blue depths of his eyes.
She’d been so naïve.
“I don’t know what to say, Darach. I’m sorry for not believing you. For not believing in you. Those things I said…they’re unforgivable.”
He shook his head and touched his lips to hers, just a brush, leaving her wanting more. Much more. “Nae, lass. ’Twas understandable. Besides, in love all is forgivable.”
Fat, hot tears spilled over Tessa’s lashes. “But it’s too late, now. I wasted what little time we had together.”
“Nae, love. ’Tis no’ true.” He thumbed her tears away. “I take the memory of us, wi’ me. ’Twill be like Isla Lochridge’s diary, tae be taken out, touched and treasured throughout time.”
He pulled her closer, leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Ye must be strong, now, Tessa. Like I ken ye tae be. Ye must stand steady for Emily, today and always. My love for ye, and for her, is all I have tae leave ye.”
Unable to hold back the sob burning in her throat, Tess buried her face in his chest. Then just as quickly, jerked back and faced Soncerae. If she was expected to accept this quietly, graciously, they were all mistaken.
“Why? Why did you bring him here, just to take him away again?” She heard the bitterness in her voice and didn’t care. “It’s beyond cruel to be given a love like Darach’s, then have it snatched away.”
“Stop, Tessa,” Darach said sternly. “ ’Tis no’ Soncerae’s fault. I tried tae tell ye about bein’ a ghost, earlier, but ye wouldnae listen. Coming here—the two days of mortality—’twas the price of my passage from centuries of ghostly wanderings, tethered tae Culloden’s moor, where I died in 1746,” he added. “After the moor, when I first arrived here, I cursed the necessity of these two days. But I realized almost immediately, Soni had given me a most precious gift. Otherwise, I’d never have met ye, or wee Emily. Or loved ye. And now that I have ye both in my heart, ’twill make an eternity of…where I’m goin’, much easier tae bear.”
Overwhelmed by everything Darach was telling her, with her heart and her world in pieces, Tessa tried to make sense of what he’d said. “You…died. At Culloden?” Tessa’s gaze shot to Guthrie. “Like him?”
“Aye, lass,” Darach acknowledged. “Though I dinnae know him, there.”
Guthrie shifted, gathering Keita even closer. “ ’Twould seem there were…circumstances, that kept both our spirits moored on this earthly plane.”
“Most who lost their lives that day crossed over,” Darach continued, drawing Tessa’s attention back to him. “Some, like Guthrie, dinnae cross, but went their own way. But 79 of us were stuck on Culloden Moor. We’ve been wandering there for nearly three long centuries! But now, one by one, Soni is freeing us. We’ve each been tasked with earning a boon and given two days of mortality tae complete it, in order tae move on tae whatever reward we’ve earned.”
“A boon?” Tessa questioned. “I don’t understand.”
“For accomplishing a heroic deed, of one sort or another,” he explained.
Had she heard him, right? “So, your purpose for coming here was to win a prize?”
“Aye!” he replied, sounding defensive. “Hell was the prize I sought!” Then just as quickly he softened his gaze. “But, when I woke
on yer bench and saw ye, I found Heaven, instead.” He glanced at Emily. “Twice.” When he turned back, Tessa saw the heartache in the strained contours of his face as he pulled away, leaving her alone, cold, and confused.
“But now, ’tis time tae pay the piper.”
Emily ran to grasp Darach’s hand. “What do you mean?” When he didn’t answer, she turned to Tessa. “What does he mean, Aunt Tess?”
“No,” Tessa mouthed, unable to force the sound out. The tremor that began in her belly spread outward, using all her energy to contain it. She had to be strong. He’d asked her to be strong. Believed she could be, when she couldn’t believe in herself.
She tried twice before she got the words out. “He’s saying he has to go now, sweetie.”
The words were painfully bitter. Crushing. Once Soncerae took him to…his reward—how could Hell be a reward?—they’d never see him again. Loving him had given her so much; changed her so completely, she couldn’t imagine going on without him.
“But why, Darach?” Emily pleaded. “Don’t go. Stay with us.” This time her sobs were unstoppable. Huge alligator tears rolled down her small face as her chest heaved with broken pleas. She squeezed his hand, tugging as if she could hold him in place. “Please, you can’t leave us, too.”
Tessa clamped her hands over her mouth to hold her own cries back, as Darach dropped to one knee and pulled Emily into his arms. “Aww, lass, if only I could stay wi’ ye forever.”
“Why can’t you?” she wailed into his chest, her arms clenched tightly around his neck. “Please, don’t leave.”
Darach held her, making non-sensical soothing sounds as he patted Emily’s back. “Dinna fash so, lass,” he finally whispered. “It cannae be helped.”
“But why?” she whimpered, squeezing tighter, holding on with all her strength.
Gently, he unlocked her arms from his neck and drew her back far enough to look into her eyes. “Ye ken how Jack—William—is a ghost, that his mortal days are long over, and he doesnae belong here any longer?”
