Awakening Her Soul to Destiny

by Deborah R Stigall

  Jared joined Etain at the railing, gazing out into the garden. His gray eyes narrowed as he focused on a slight movement deep within the greenery. “Etain, look at that vermin!” he urged as he pointed beneath a clump of trailing vines.

  Etain’s eyes followed Jared’s direction, immediately focusing on the huge black rat peering cautiously from under the leaves. “That is no vermin, Jared, that’s Ravon!” Immediately, the silvery hair returned to the form of feathers. This time the form Etain chose was not that of a tiny finch but of a great silver owl. Swooping from the veranda, the great owl dove towards the rat with talons outstretched. Spotting the approaching owl, the rat suddenly shrank into the shape of a small black snake, quickly slithering into a hole in the masonry. Denied of her prey, the owl rose, circling again and again in hopes the snake would reappear. Finally realizing that Ravon had escaped, the beautiful owl returned to the railing beside Jared and alit in the shape of the angry Etain.

  “He must’ve followed us here knowing it was time for Kaitla to return.” Etain paced restlessly across the veranda. “She must not be left alone. She’s not safe until she has found her powers.”

  “How will we stay with her constantly?” Jared asked. “The lass doesna’ trust anyone.”

  “Weel,” Etain looked thoughtfully at Jared with a gleam in her eye. “She does seem to have a weakness for stray animals.”

  “Now wait a minute, ye canna mean to change me into a wee cat?” Jared backed away from Etain; arms outstretched and hands spread in an attempt to shield himself from an attack.

  “Why no, Jared, but I do believe ye’ll make a verra fine dog!” Etain reached down and scratched the massive head of the large black dog now standing before her. “There now, it willna’ be so bad. Ye’ll have your regular form when Kaitla is about the house during the day. But whenever she would take leave of ye, ye’ll become this fine animal and ye can protect her. Now, off with ye, go and find the lass and make sure she likes ye this time!” With those final instructions, Etain once again took wing, returning to make a few more circuits of the garden.

  ~*~

  Ravon angrily shattered the obsidian reflecting glass against the cheaply papered wall. “Damn it, Etain!” he cursed under his breath at the thought of the silver-haired sorceress. “Ye know I canna defeat ye unless I stand upon my own lands.” Pacing back and forth across the dimly lit room, Ravon emptied the tankard of wine then smashed it against the wall as well.

  A hesitant knock at the door interrupting his tirade, Ravon ripped the door open, nearly tearing it from its hinges. “What the hell d’ye want now!” he roared at the cowering little man standing in the hallway.

  “Uh..well..uh, nothin’ a’tall sir. We…uh…heard a crash and some of the other tenants were a bit concerned. They thought I might come ta’ see ye were well?” stuttered the poor innkeeper.

  “’Tis none o’yer business how I fare. I’ve paid yer fees,” spat Ravon in contempt. “Tell the other tenants ta’ burn in hell and if they canna find the way…I’d be most happy ta’ lead them there! Now leave me and bring more wine!”

  “Aye sir, …uh…right away.” Backing down the hallway, the innkeeper’s only concern now was getting away from the enraged man towering over him in the doorway.

  Slamming the door on the intrusion, Ravon returned to his musings about Etain. Eyes narrowing maliciously, Ravon carefully searched his mind for the perfect plan of destruction. He couldn’t believe Etain had been able to hide Caymber’s brat for thirty-five years. He had searched the realms endlessly; never suspecting the spawn was growing up within the lands of the earth realm. Grudgingly, he had to admire Etain’s cunning…she had been wise to hide the child here. The only way he had finally found her was by tracking Etain herself. He had envisioned her constantly in the reflecting glass, watching her every move in the Clas Myrddin realm. When she’d finally decided it was time to act, he had simply followed her to her destination.

  Sitting at the small table beside the dingy window, Ravon frowned to himself. He had to destroy Kaitla before she found her powers. He had seen glimpses of the future and knew once Kaitla returned to the realm, he had little chance of success. Once the land welcomed her and she joined with the realm, her powers would be phenomenal.

  He would return to the estate and attack Kaitla in the form of a beast. He had watched her closely while she resided in town but every attempt to reach her had been stopped by Etain or Jared. His only hope was sneaking up on her in the form of something small…something that wouldn’t be out of place and easily detected. She was still unaware of her abilities, so, it should be simple. He would pounce upon her as a small rat, then quickly change into a more lethal creature and finish her off. Who knows? He might even have enough time to torture her to death slowly…that would be an even added benefit.

  Chuckling maniacally to himself, Ravon threw the door open again, roaring down the hallway, “Where’s my wine, ye fool! Ye’ll rue the day ye made me wait!” Stomping down the hallway, Ravon eagerly looked forward to terrorizing his next victim.

  Chapter III

  “Hobart, how can you NOT have a telephone?” Kaitla demanded, “How do you communicate with the outside world? What if there’s an emergency of some sort? How did you contact the inn while I was staying in town?”

  “Miss Kaitla, ye must calm down. The Lady Balmurray will be most upset to find ye in this state,” Hobart begged. “We have no phone because we dinna have the need for one,” he said, shrewdly ignoring the question about contacting the inn, “Now ye must rest yourself and I’ll bring ye a nice supper tray. Ye’re but over tired from movin’ all yer things again, I’m sure.”

  “All right, Hobart, but tomorrow I’ll need a ride into town so I can contact my agent.” Kaitla reluctantly watched Hobart disappear down the long hall, then returned to her suite, slamming the door angrily behind her.

  She had accepted some “unusual” jobs before but this one was becoming stranger by the minute. “Damn Nettie!” Kaitla muttered to herself. “This is even stranger then the project you got me with that set of perverted twins in Beverly Hills.” She marched across the room and belly-flopped onto the huge four postered bed. The satiny comforter felt cool to her cheek as she absent-mindedly stroked the ruffles on the pillows stacked against the headboard.

  Rolling over to her back, Kaitla stared bleakly at the ceiling. Just as she was trying to figure a way to repay Mrs. Balmurray, a faint scratching sound distracted her. Sitting up, she listened intently to locate the source of the sound. There it was again, but this time it was accompanied by a faint whine. At the sound of the whine, even lazy Tobias’ ears perked up and he slowly began to puff up his tail.

  Kaitla walked to the closed patio doors, pulling aside the sheer gauze draperies. Since it was dark outside, all she could see was her own reflection. Cautiously, she eased the door open. There wagging his tail was a huge black dog with the most unusual gray eyes she had ever seen. He looked like a shepherd, collie mixture with perky ears and shaggy hair around his neck and his very active tail.

  “Where did you come from?” Kaitla asked the dog. He immediately took a step forward and whined, begging for attention. “Well, aren’t you the friendly fella.” Crouching beside the dog, she ran her fingers through the fur around his neck. No collar, he must be a stray. She wasn’t well versed in the Edinburgh laws concerning the licensing of dogs; but surely the owner of a dog like this would insist on his having tags in case he became lost. He was a large dog, too clean and well kept for a stray. But the oddest feature was those eyes. Kaitla felt as though she’d looked into them before.

  “Tobias, I’m losing what little mind I had to begin with,” she remarked to the puffed insulted cat who was currently dancing sideways towards the panting dog. Tobias was buzzing with a low growl that was growing to a high pitched yowl to make it perfectly clear who belonged in this room and who didn’t. The dog just eyed the cat, thumping his tail on the rug in greeting.

  A knock
on the bedroom door interrupted the introductions. Kaitla opened the door to find Hobart, faithful to his word, bearing a covered supper tray. Opening the door wider, Hobart crossed to the small table by the window. “I’ll just set your dinner up here for ye,” he said as he laid out the plate and silverware. Crossing to the window, he opened it slightly. “Nothing like a bit of fresh air while your havin’ a bite ta’ eat. If ye should need anything further, Miss, ye have but to ask.” He quickly turned to escape.

  “Wait a minute, Hobart.” Kaitla spoke before Hobart was able to disappear through the door, temporarily stalling his attempt at freedom. “Have you seen this dog before?” she asked nodding toward the rogue now solemnly curled on the rug in front of the bed.

  “Why, no ma’am. I thought he must be yours.” Hobart shuffled his feet back and forth, glancing nervously toward the dog. Edging towards the door, “Now if ye should need…..”

  “Hobart, how could this dog be mine when I didn’t arrive with it?” Crossing her arms across her chest, Kaitla waited for a response.

  By this time, Hobart had succeeded in reaching the door and with one smooth movement replied, “It’s not my place to ask, Miss, good e’en to ye!” and with that was out the door and down the hall like a shot.

  “When I get out of here, I’m going to strangle Nettie!” Kaitla glared first at the dog and then the cat. Neither one, however, seemed disposed to answer.

  While idly chewing a bite of kidney pie, Kaitla glanced to the open window, noticing a tiny bird perched on the sill. Having already fixed a plate for Tobias and the dog, she proceeded to crumble up a bit of roll and scatter it along the sill for the tiny unusual bird. Odd that a bird should be hopping about this late but she was too tired to speculate on it. Brushing the crumbs from her hands, she stood and stretched to work the kinks out of her tired body. It had been a very long day.

  “Well, dog, I guess you can stay the night and we’ll see if we can’t find your master in the morning.” She patted the furry head and scratched beneath his chin. “But as for me, I think it’s time for a bath and bed.” Kaitla walked through the doorway to the adjoining bathroom and began filling the tub.

  “Etain! Now what am I going to do?” the dog-shaped Jared thought to the little bird on the ledge. “She’s disrobing and…”

  “Calm yourself, Jared!” the tiny bird chirped harshly. “Ye’ve seen maidens bare before! I know ye’re no virgin! Just curl up on the rug and pretend ye’ve gone to sleep. Have I taught ye nothing?”

  “A bare maiden is one thing,” Jared whined, “But this is Kaitla, she’s, well, she’s KAITLA!” Hearing the sound of bare feet padding across the floor, Jared quickly lay down on the rug, placing his nose between his paws and closing his eyes.

  “I forgot my shampoo, Tobias, which bag did I leave it in? Emerging from the bathroom, Kaitla crossed to the pile of suitcases by the closet. She stretched to unzip the hanging bag and began fishing blindly for the elusive shampoo.

  Jared couldn’t resist. He’d been trained to be a gentleman but this was asking more then even the most gallant of Cuchailard could be expected to resist. His nose remaining between his paws, he slowly peeped through half closed eyes to catch a glimpse of Kaitla.

  There she stood in the soft glowing lights of the bedroom. Stretching to reach into the hanging suitcase, her lean body seemed even slimmer. Her reddish gold hair had been released from the worn ponytail holder and hung disheveled to her waist. Her long slender legs were well muscled from hours of alternately standing and squatting while painting her murals. Her shapely bottom curved from the slender waist and wiggled invitingly as she struggled with the suitcase. Finally capturing the elusive shampoo, she turned to pad softly back to the tub. Her small breasts and flat stomach were teasingly shielded with the loosened tresses, her lithe sensual body barely hidden beneath.

  As soon as Kaitla sank into the tub, Jared jumped up and scratched on the patio doors. “Open the damn doors, Etain!” he growled.

  “Whatever for?” inquired the small bird as she cocked her head and willed the door open.

  “I’m going for a swim and that water had best be cold!” With that, Jared rushed through the doors, jumped from the veranda, and loped across the yard, diving into the pond.

  ~*~

  Awakening disoriented, it took Kaitla a moment to realize where she was until the memories of her first unusual day at the estate came flooding back. “Ohhhh, maybe I was just tired and imagining things,” she sleepily mumbled to herself. Yawning, she stretched lazily, letting her eyes sweep the room. Someone had already been in this morning, removing her leftover dishes of the night before. In their place, the table had been freshly dressed with a clean linen cloth and a bud vase with a single yellow rose. “Hmmmm, yellow, for friendship or a peace offering?” she wondered to herself.

  Sitting up in the middle of the bed, Kaitla carefully slid her foot farther under the covers to reach beneath the snoring Tobias. Once in place beneath the heavy little body, she gently flipped him, “Rise and shine! Tobias!” Quickly rewarded with an insulted glare, the offending foot beneath the covers was immediately pounced upon. “Ouch! Claws, Tobias, let go!” She reached down, plucking the fat furball up and cradling the little black body in her arms. Ruffling his ears and face, Tobias quickly latched onto Kaitla’s hand, attacking it with playful bites and ferocious licking.

  “Where’s our other friend, Tobias?” Kaitla asked peering over the end of the bed to the empty rug below. The veranda doors were closed, so he hadn’t gone outside. Well, maybe whoever set the table had let him out. Hobart must’ve let himself in because she had seen no other servants at the estate since her arrival.

  A brief knock at the door interrupted these thoughts. Slipping from the cozy cocoon of the bed, Kaitla donned her robe, opening the door a crack to see who waited on the other side. There stood Hobart patiently awaiting admittance with a small covered tray holding breakfast. “Well, speak of the devil!” Kaitla said, “I was just thinking about you, Hobart!”

  “Beg your pardon, mistress?” the shaken Hobart eyed her warily as though she had just spoken a curse over him.

  “Sorry, Hobart, just a figure of speech. What I meant to say, was I appreciate the lovely rose you left on the table for me.” Kaitla opened the door wider to admit the gnomelike butler. He shuffled through the doorway and settled the tray on the table. Lifting the silver dome off the tray, he revealed a plate of freshly baked croissants, a small bowl of fresh, ripe strawberries and a pitcher of cream. A small pot of tea, snug in it’s cozy, completed the ensemble.

  After arranging these items on the small table, Hobart turned to face Kaitla, nervously rotating the silver tray in his ancient hands, “Oh, ‘twasn’t me that left the wee flower, mistress.” He glanced up at Kaitla through his shaggy eyebrows. “This is the first I’ve been to your room this day.”

  “If not you, who then?” Kaitla glared at the fidgeting butler as he obviously ignored her question. Giving up on a response, she asked, “By the way, Hobart, have you seen the dog this morning?”

  “No ma’am, I’ve seen no dog this mornin’. Will ye be needin’ anythin’ else at all now?” edging towards the door again, Hobart was obviously preparing to make another hasty retreat.

  “Yes please, before you dash off, could you please be sure and ask Mrs. Balmurray when she’ll be able to meet with me. I really need to “get a feel” for just what she expects of me.” At this the poor Hobart almost choked.

  “Oh Aye, mistress, I’ll be sure and tell the Lady that ye must see her as soon as can be.” Almost out the door, Kaitla barely snagged Hobart by the sleeve.

  “And one more thing... I need a ride into town today. I must contact my agent and it can’t be delayed.” Although she couldn’t strangle Nettie in person for landing her here at least she could give her an earful through the phone lines.

  “Aye, ma’am, I’ll see to it.” Finally through the door, Hobart quickly bobbed his head in farewell and came as clo
se to a run as his arthritic old body permitted.

  “Odd little man,” Kaitla observed closing the door firmly. Walking past the rumpled bed, she scooped up Tobias with one hand. She unloaded the sweet smelling dish of strawberries onto the plate with the croissants. Pouring a bit of the thick cool cream into the empty strawberry dish, she then deposited dish and cat on the table and they set to the business of enjoying their breakfast together.

  Popping the last juicy strawberry in her mouth, Kaitla gazed out the window taking a deep breath of the fresh clean breeze as it gently fluttered the curtains about the sill. It was early June and the smell of freshly mown grass and fragrant flowers filled the air. Kaitla reached out and gently caressed a petal of the yellow rose on the table. “You know Tobias…Jared is rather attractive.” Tobias raised his head from the saucer of cream. Droplets of cream threatened to drip from his chin but were quickly retrieved by a rapid swipe of the raspy tongue in a full circuit around his mouth. Obviously deciding this observation deserved no comment; the little glutton bent once again to the saucer to ensure no dab of cream had been overlooked.

  “Well, you’re right,” she observed to the little cat. “The last man I thought was rather attractive ended up having a lovely wife and child, he thought I could somehow overlook.” Besides, she would only be in Scotland the length of time it took to complete this project. Then it was back to the states where she belonged.

  ~*~

  Finally cornering Hobart in the main hallway, Kaitla managed to convince him if he didn’t take her into town to use the phone; she would find a way to make his life a living hell. Bumping along the road into Edinburgh, Kaitla stared studiously out the window; attempting to stifle the giggles threatening to surface at the sight of the puffed and insulted butler peering sternly over the steering wheel.