“Why none, lad,” Frann replied, her eyes widening as she realized the portent of her words.
“None!” Jared exclaimed rising from his seat. “No guards, runners or tenants at all?”
Pacing in front of the wide cooking hearth, Mistress Frann nervously tapped the palm of her hand with one of her large wooden spoons. “It all makes sense now! As soon as Elsbet appeared at the Keep, all the kinsmen left immediately, claiming they’d been summoned. We’ve naught here but a few stable lads and one or two of the oldest servants. Macvorn must’ve telepathed the clansmen ta’ leave.”
“How could my own clan desert me like this? How could they leave ye unguarded?” Jared demanded, voice hoarse with anger.
“Jared, ye know as well as I the answer. The clansmen will follow the orders of the Laird they ha’sworn loyalty to. If Macvorn made the message appear to be from Laird Caymber, the clansmen had no choice but to follow orders.” Shaking her head sadly, Frann ceased her pacing and settled for stirring the pot bubbling over the fire. “Ye must simply make the best of it, laddie…and dinna find yourself alone with Elsbet!” she cautioned, waving the dripping spoon in his direction. “If Macvorn is determined to undermine ye, he willna’ leave the situation here ta’ chance,” she continued, returning the spoon to the pot. With a glance at the puddled floor, a mop from the cupboard quickly appeared to swab up the mess then returned to its post until called upon again.
Resuming his own pacing across the polished stone floor, Jared’s anger finally erupted. “Damn! I wish I had the bastard’s neck between m’hands!” he roared slamming both fists onto the worktable.
Frowning at Jared’s outburst, Mistress Frann wielded the wooden spoon at him once again to emphasize her words, “Reign in that temper, laddie. Ye must be clear headed and sly if ye are ta’ win this battle!” Returning the spoon to the simmering pot, she continued sternly, “Ye may not have the gifts of Macvorn nor the power of Caymber, but ye can still come through this if ye but keep yer head!”
Sighing in resignation, Jared turned to stare through the open doorway into the herb garden, “Somehow, I’ll beat Macvorn,” he swore coldly. “He’ll not have Kaitla easily!”
At that moment, Hobart came rushing into the kitchen barely pausing to bob his head in greeting to Mistress Frann. “Jared! A sealed message just arrived from Etain. It must be urgent for her to actually transport a message instead of using one of the Laird’s runners!” Handing the rolled parchment to Jared, Hobart waited anxiously while Jared carefully broke the wax seal bearing Etain’s initials.
Unrolling the parchment slowly, Jared’s expression of grim resolution as his eyes flicked back and forth along the lines, clearly told Hobart and Mistress Frann the news must not be favorable. Once he finished reading, Jared dropped the paper silently to the floor. Turning without a word, he bent his head in anguish and disappeared into the herb garden, leaving Hobart and Mistress Frann to stare at the rolled parchment lying on the floor.
Slowly retrieving the parchment and turning it over in his hands, Hobart glanced at Mistress Frann with eyebrows arched in unspoken question.
“Well go on, man….read it!” Mistress Frann urged anxiously. “How are we ta’ help the lad if we dinna ken what’s going on!”
Nodding quickly in agreement, Hobart carefully unrolled the parchment and read the message aloud:
Dearest Jared,
I send this urgent message to ye to warn ye of what is to be. Modron has agreed to the union of Macvorn and Kaitla, he and Caymber having signed the marriage agreement this very day. Caymber has given his oath that Kaitla will be wed to Macvorn….willingly or not. If she refuses, she must appear before the council for judgement. Anyone interfering in the union will be either executed or banished permanently from the realm. I know what is in your heart, Jared. But I fear it must not be. I beg ye to put aside your feelings for the lass and attempt to grow warmer to Elsbet. The council is enchanted with the idea of a new gifted race emerging from the union of Macvorn and Kaitla. I have never seen them so taken. Save yourself my lad, I beg ye. We shall be at the Keep in three days time to prepare for the wedding.
Forgive me,
Etain
“Go find him, Hobart. He doesna’ need ta’ be alone,” Mistress Frann quietly urged, taking the parchment from Hobart’s gnarled hands and tossing it forcefully into the fire.
Hobart left the kitchen in search of Jared. After covering almost every square inch of the massive old Keep, he was ready to give up when he finally came upon Jared seated behind the stables. Sitting on a worn wooden bench over-looking the valley below, Jared didn’t even look up when Hobart came wheezing up beside him and dropped with relief onto the seat.
Coughing and wheezing, it took Hobart a few moments to catch his breath. His face filled with concern, Hobart asked, “So what d’ye mean ta’ do now, m’lad?”
Jared gazed quietly across the valley, his face totally expressionless. “I mean to wed Kaitla, or die,” he said simply, eyes hypnotically fixed on some distant point across the valley.
“Ye canna mean that!” Hobart asked, frowning at Jared’s reply. He was a great believer in true love but sometimes destiny didn’t always cooperate. Perhaps Jared and Kaitla just weren’t meant to be. He had to admit, he too was curious to see just how gifted and powerful a child of Kaitla and Macvorn’s would be.
“Aye, I mean it or I wouldna’ say it,” Jared calmly replied, glancing at his godfather with a smile. “But I must do this alone, Hobart. I’ll not risk anyone else’s life,” he added, knowing Hobart and Frann wouldn’t have been able to resist reading the message transported from Etain.
“I’ll not desert ye, laddie. I’m yer watcher, am I not?” grinned the old man bravely, as he thumped Jared’s back with a callused hand. If the lad meant to have Mistress Kaitla, then Hobart would do anything in his power to see that it was so.
“Aye, that ye are,” Jared replied smiling. Clapping the old man affectionately on the shoulder, Jared rose slowly from the bench. “I’m weary, auld man. I’m going to try to get some sleep and maybe I’ll be able to figure out a way to convince Laird Caymber that I’d no be such a bad provider for his daughter.” Jared stretched stiffly, rubbing his hands across his haggard face.
“Wise decision, lad….verra wise,” Hobart agreed. Rising from the bench with an arthritic hop, he paused for a brief moment to admire the peach colored setting of the sun. He was all of nine hundred and twenty-nine, yet he still never tired of the beauty of the realm.
The two made their way slowly back to the kitchen, pausing to bid Mistress Frann goodnight. Giving Jared a motherly hug, she whispered fervently in Jared’s ear, “Sleep well, laddie. ‘Twill all work out for the best...I promise ye.” Shaking her head sadly, Mistress Frann watched Jared slowly make his way up the stairs. She’d helped Etain raise the lad and was as fond of him as though he were her own. Setting her jaw in determination, she silently promised to speak to Laird Caymber on Jared’s behalf. She wasn’t afraid to remind her Laird of how it felt to be in love. Smiling to herself as she doused the flames in the kitchen sconces, Mistress Frann ambled off to her own chambers to the east of the kitchen.
After washing his face in the basin by the bed, Jared carelessly stripped out of his clothes, dropping them in a pile on the floor. Sliding naked between the crisp cool sheets, he hugged his pillow to his body, wishing it were Kaitla that he held in his arms.
He could smell her fragrant hair as it tickled his nose, her head gently resting on his chest as she nibbled her way along his body. Her firm breasts and stomach pressed close against him, silently inviting him to explore her. He ran his hands across her full hips, squeezing them and directing her body as she embraced him with her smooth silky thighs. Gasping as he entered her, she arched her back, pulling his head to her hungry mouth as they slowly began their dance. Kaitla’s smiling face and hungry eyes drove Jared to possess her completely; the rhythm growing faster as their bodies demanded more. Having only been
separated for a day, it had seemed like forever since they had last joined. Dizzy with ecstasy, they soon found quick release, their bodies melting together as one. Jared finally rolled to her side, gathering her tightly in his arms and they both drifted off to sleep…
Jared awoke with a start, his body still trembling with the reality of the dream. Reaching full consciousness, he suddenly realized he wasn’t alone. Nestled in the curve of his shoulder was Elsbet, her body still warm and glowing from the lovemaking of just moments ago. Gently kissing his neck, she whispered, “I love ye, Jared. We belong to each other now.” Smiling, she tried to pull his head to her lips for yet another kiss.
“Never!” Jared cried, pushing away from her as he stumbled out of the bed. “Get out! Ye conniving wench!” Spying Elsbet’s shift lying where she tossed it to the floor, Jared grabbed it up and forcefully threw it at her. “I dinna wish to ever see ye again!” he shouted, eyes wide in disbelief at the sight of her in his bed.
Laughing wickedly as she demurely wrapped the loose shift about her voluptuous body, “Aye, Jared. Ye’ll be seeing me again…Kaitla willna’ be so forgiving this time, I think!” Moving seductively to the bedroom door, she paused to turn and gaze sadistically at Jared, “Goodnight lad, someday ye’ll thank me.” Eyes twinkling maliciously, the beautiful Elsbet seemed to be slowly growing in size. Her shoulders broadening, her breasts and curving hips disappearing into the muscular form of a man. The beautiful face suddenly became distorted and repugnant, one eye missing with a long angry scar running through the eye socket and across his cheek. Ravon’s deep evil laughter rumbled from his chest, as he reveled in the shock on Jared’s face. “Almost too easy, lad! But since ye are of my blood, I’ll warn ye this one time…stay out of this war, boy, or I’ll destroy ye along with the rest!” Quickly assuming the form of his namesake, the huge black raven flew out of the open window before Jared could react.
Mouth agape in horror, Jared slowly crumpled to his knees. “No!” he moaned again and again, as he beat the cold wooden floor with his fists until they bled.
Chapter XI
Carefully choosing her footing on the slippery gray stones below, Kaitla eased gingerly into the cool refreshing pool at the base of the bubbling waterfall. Two days of traveling with only a few stops to rest had left her bone-tired. She shivered with disgust at the layer of grit collecting on her body; Macvorn constantly insisting that they must keep moving. When she and Macvorn had come upon the secluded burn, she had insisted upon setting up camp early to finally refresh her body, as well as sooth her mind. Making her way over to the waterfall, she tilted her head back, allowing the water to splash freely over her face and through her hair, washing away the traveling grime and massaging her weary body. As she floated into the deeper end of the pool, Kaitla’s mind slowly wandered over the past several days. Frowning in frustration, she was growing tired of the game Macvorn and her father were playing. It seemed as though this journey was turning out to be a lot longer, then she’d first been informed. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear they had been over this terrain more then once. When she’d questioned Macvorn as to when he expected them to arrive at Cuchailard Keep, he had merely smiled at her mysteriously and continued riding. Perturbed at his annoying silence, she’d finally resorted to searching his mind, only to find him waiting for her with his arms open to embrace her. Veering in an attempt to search for information elsewhere, she would always turn to find him once again in front of her, patiently waiting for her embrace. Etain had never warned her of this trap, but her intuitiveness somehow did. Kaitla felt sure that if she were ever to embrace Macvorn within his mind, she would be lost to Jared forever. Submerging beneath the cool surface to clear her muddled mind, Kaitla swam to the edge of the pool to retrieve the herbs she’d found along the path. Sighing with resignation, she rationally decided the only way she was going to heal her raw nerves was to consciously clear her mind and force herself to put the turmoil aside. Working the freshly picked soaproot plant into a fragrant lather, Kaitla soaped her hair and then her entire body. Floating back to the waterfall, she soaped her hair again to make sure she’d loosened all the embedded grit. Rinsing away the lather, she emerged from beneath the waterfall to find Macvorn standing directly in front of her. His huge hazel eyes were filled with desire and the clear water did nothing to disguise the urgency of his longing elsewhere.
Covering her breasts with her folded arms and carefully remaining waist deep in the pool, Kaitla could feel her skin heating up as she blushed the length of her entire body. “What are you doing Macvorn?” Kaitla demanded, hotly.
“I didna’ want ta’ be attracting flies as we traveled, so, I thought ‘twas time I had a wash m’self,” Macvorn innocently replied, his eyes flickering appreciatively over her glistening body.
“Well, you could’ve at least waited until I was dressed and out of your way,” Kaitla countered coldly, her teeth beginning to chatter more from nervousness then from the cold water.
“Ye’ve a beautiful body, Kaitla. Why would ye be ashamed to show it?” Macvorn asked as he slowly edged closer, causing the water to flow disturbingly around her legs.
Trembling visibly as Macvorn drew closer, Kaitla attempted to take a step back from him, quickly losing her footing on the slippery rocks below. Lunging to catch her as she splashed beneath the surface, Macvorn quickly pulled her shivering body close and covered her mouth with his. Pushing against his chest, Kaitla struggled away from him, diving beneath the water to escape his slippery grasp. Splashing to the edge of the pool, she scurried up the embankment, imaging herself immediately in a huge plush towel. Grasping the towel with one hand, she pointed to Macvorn with the other. “Don’t ever do that again,” she coldly sputtered, eyes fiery with anger as she brushed her dripping hair from her face. Turning into the woods, she made her way back to the clearing to warm her body by the fire and attempt to cool her temper with the mug of icy cider, she quickly imaged into her hand.
Still standing waist deep in the water, Macvorn pushed himself with frustration under the waterfall. The cold water helped some in cooling his passion, but did nothing for his agitated mind. “So close…what am I going to have to do to reach her!” he muttered in disgust to himself.
“Ye dinna need to crowd her so, ye wee fool,” a deep gravelly voice observed aloud.
Whirling around in shock, Macvorn found himself staring into a scarred face with one gleaming eye. A small cave lay hidden behind the waterfall, carved out over hundreds of years by the falling drops of water. Just inside the mouth of the cave, sitting on a jutting rock ledge was Ravon.
“What are ye doing here? What if Kaitla sees ye!” Macvorn demanded, glancing quickly around to ensure that Kaitla hadn’t returned to the pool.
“Dinna be such an idiot, Macvorn. The girl is still by the fire, fuming over yer clumsy attempts to rape her,” Raven commented drolly. Reaching over his head, Ravon carefully pulled a huge black spider from its web, studying it with interest as it crawled over his hand. Cupping the spider loosely in his fist, he squatted next to the water and submerged the spider slowly, chuckling maniacally to himself as he watched it drown.
Losing interest in the dead floating spider, Ravon rose to his massive height, standing above Macvorn on the jutting rock ledge. Ravon leaned so close to Macvorn, his foul breath brought tears to Macvorn’s eyes. Sneering with an evil leer he said, “I have set the game in motion. Ye have but to show her the reflections of the two lovers and the gullible wench will be yours.” Chortling sadistically under his breath he continued, “Jared found me quite attractive, even though I did have to manipulate his dream plane ta’ rape the wee fool.”
Steadying himself against the ledge, Macvorn eyed Ravon warily, “Swear again ta’ me that once Kaitla and I are joined, ye shall make no more attempts on her life.” He covered his nose and mouth with the back of his hand, vainly trying to escape Ravon’s rotten aroma.
Glaring at Macvorn with the one black eye, Ravon spat into the
water as he swore, “Our agreement is still the same. I assist ye in ripping the lass from Jared and ye keep her away from me.” Carelessly wiping errant spittle from his mouth with the back of his grubby hand, Ravon continued; his voice laced with venom, “She’s grown too powerful in the ways for me to battle her one on one. ...and the fools I’ve sent to destroy her have been completely useless. My revenge will lie with Caymber.” Twisting his repugnant face into an evil grin, Ravon observed, “Besides, torturing the lass with Jared’s betrayal and murdering her long lost father is much better then killing her. If I kill the wench, she willna’ suffer nearly long enough for my enjoyment!” Grabbing Macvorn’s face with his filthy hand, he added, “Give the wench a good stick for me, once ye’ve weaseled yer way between her thighs!”
Before Macvorn could wrench his face from his fist, Ravon dissolved into the form of a great black eel; disappearing into the depths of the pool.
A sudden chill covered Macvorn’s body with gooseflesh as scrubbed his face with water, trying to wash away the feel of Ravon’s tainted grip. The cold calculating evil of Ravon’s words numbed him to the bone. He was having second thoughts as to the wisdom of enlisting Ravon’s help in possessing Kaitla for himself. He had realized from the very beginning how risky it was to deal with Ravon but he hadn’t realized just how malevolent Ravon actually was until today. Wiping the water from his face as he emerged from the pool, Macvorn set his face in grim determination. It was too late to turn back now; a deal with the devil cannot be undone.
Approaching the clearing where Kaitla sat crouched close to the fire, Macvorn lightly cleared his throat as he emerged from the underbrush. Jumping at the sound, Kaitla quickly stood, backing slowly away from Macvorn as he approached. After his behavior in the bathing pool, she wouldn’t make the mistake of letting down her guard again.
Awakening Her Soul to Destiny Page 18
