A stab of remorse pricked Macvorn’s heart as he watched Kaitla warily retreat from him. “Kaitla, dinna fear me, I beg ye,” Macvorn pleaded softly, “I was overcome by ye in the pool, please forgive me.” He truly regretted his behavior at the waterfall, fearing he’d lost what little progress he might have made while they traveled.
“If it happens again, I’ll travel alone the rest of the way to Cuchailard Keep,” Kaitla swore, raising her chin defiantly. She was in no mood for these games and if necessary, she felt sure she could find her way alone. Her powers seemed to grow stronger each day, and the longer she was in the realm, the more aware and at ease with her gifts she was becoming. She still stood across from the fire, eyeing Macvorn with suspicion. The more time she spent with Macvorn, the more her instincts shouted to her to be careful.
Shaking his head sadly, Macvorn bowed his head before her in shame, “It willna’ happen again, lass. I swear upon my love for ye.” With a start, Macvorn realized he actually meant the words he had just said...he had really begun to care for Kaitla and longed for her acceptance in return.
“You don’t know me well enough to love me and you know very well how I feel about you,” she snapped as she moved closer to the fire. Her face still flushed with anger, she declared defiantly to Macvorn’s startled face, “I love Jared and intend to marry him when I reach the Keep.” Turning from Macvorn’s gaze, Kaitla stared dismally into the fire, one small teardrop escaping from the corner of her eye. She missed Jared. She was tired of this infernal game of her father’s, all she wanted was to get to Cuchailard Keep and have this idiotic journey behind her.
Sensing the perfect opportunity, Macvorn sidled closer to Kaitla and gently stirred the fire. “Ye can see him now, ye know,” he murmured enticingly, carefully controlling his voice to keep from betraying his trap.
Eyes narrowed with suspicion, Kaitla inclined her head toward Macvorn, “What are you talking about?” she asked warily. From his behaviour throughout the journey, Kaitla didn’t trust Macvorn’s motives when he suddenly seemed so helpful in allowing her to see Jared.
“Sit beside the fire and I’ll show ye,” Macvorn instructed eagerly. Leaning closer to the flames, he gazed intently into the depths of the fire until the blaze grew. Motioning to the heart of the inferno, Macvorn directed Kaitla’s eyes. “Look into the flames and tell me what ye see,” he whispered mysteriously.
Fascinated by the tongues of fire shooting high over her head, Kaitla stared into the center as Macvorn had instructed. Eyes widening with wonder, she gasped in amazement, as suddenly quite clearly she could see Etain and her father on their way to Cuchailard Keep. If she concentrated hard enough, she could just make out what they were saying.
“Ach, I miss the child terribly, Etain,” growled Laird Caymber, urging his horse to a cantor. “Let us hurry and reach the Keep.” If not for the fact that Jared waited at the Keep, Laird Caymber would’ve bid Etain to transport them there. As anxious as the old chieftain was to see his daughter once more, he didn’t relish the thought of facing Jared and having to send him away.
“’Twill be but a few more days, my Laird,” replied Etain quietly as she nervously glanced about. She could sense an ominous cloud hanging in the air. All of her senses warned her that something was about to go very wrong.
As the vision of Etain and Laird Caymber flickered and faded from the flames, Kaitla leaned closer…searching. “How do I see Jared?” Kaitla asked excitedly. “What’s he doing right now?”
“Ye canna view the exact present, lass. Ye may only see the most recent past and sometimes catch a glimpse into the future.” Macvorn explained carefully, “Gaze into the flames and think of your love…then he’ll appear ta’ ye.”
Staring deeper into the flames and opening her heart to the inferno, Kaitla’s eyes widened in horror as Jared finally appeared before her. She recognized the shape of the handsome muscular body intertwined with the long limbs of Elsbet. She could feel the muscles rippling beneath her palms, as they had the last time she had embraced him. Shocked into silence, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the heart-wrenching sight of the couple’s lovemaking, Jared’s muscles rippling, as he possessed Elsbet’s body, her nails raking down his back as she moaned with pleasure. Silent tears slipped down Kaitla’s cheeks as she listened to Elsbet whisper her love for Jared and swear how they now truly belonged together. Dousing the flames with the water bag, Kaitla turned and ran, staggering into the woods, her eyes blinded by tears.
Smiling to himself with satisfaction, Macvorn idly stirred the wet ashes with a stick. He’d give her a few moments to herself…then he’d go to her. After what she had just witnessed, he was positive she would gladly welcome his advances now. She would need comforting and he ached in anticipation of satisfying her needs.
Ravon had done well with his part of the bargain. He’d been more creative then Macvorn had imagined. Laughing wickedly under his breath, Macvorn snapped the stick in two. Poor Jared, what a shock it must’ve been to find he’d lain with his own grandsire. It hadn’t been easy for Macvorn to make sure Kaitla didn’t see through Elsbet’s form and discover the real image of Ravon. He’d had to concentrate intensely to ensure the illusion wasn’t disrupted within the flames. As powerful as the lass is in the ways, she could’ve easily seen the truth if she’d just known how. Still discovering her gifts and powers, Kaitla was still too much of a novice to always be aware of the undercurrents of the ways and make use of them whenever they would benefit her most.
As the sky darkened with storm clouds, Macvorn decided to begin his search for Kaitla. Eyeing the sky with admiration, he dusted the dirt from his hands. The gathering clouds about to unleash their fury impressed Macvorn almost as much as Kaitla’s healing of his mortal wound. A storm blowing up this quickly had to be of Kaitla’s doing. The last storm of this magnitude had shaken the entire realm, lasting for days in response to Kaitla’s sorrow. When Etain had explained to him what had happened and how in tune to Kaitla’s emotions the realm was, Macvorn had shivered with the sheer excitement of meeting someone so powerful. Kaitla was an amazing woman and now she would finally be his!
Following the direction Kaitla had taken through the woods, Macvorn began searching for the distraught lass. The wind was picking up and it was soon quite a struggle pushing through the leaves and branches without being whipped in the face with the swaying limbs. Thunder rumbled in the distance and lightening lit the sulfur colored sky. Heavy black clouds boiled, slowly spreading to cover the entire realm with darkness.
Calling out for Kaitla, Macvorn’s voice was lost in the wind and the thunder. Searching the surrounding area with no success, Macvorn was beginning to get a little worried about her. She couldn’t have gone very far…where was she? Voice growing hoarse, Macvorn finally stood still, closing his eyes and concentrating intently. Scanning the forest with his mind, all Macvorn could sense was an indefinable sorrow all around him. Trying even harder to concentrate on Kaitla, he could still only pick up the vibrations of unspeakable sadness and despair. As the clouds opened up and the rain began to pour, Macvorn’s heart grew heavy with guilt. As he stood in the drenching rain, thunder crashing all around him, Macvorn wondered if he had perhaps gone too far. Kaitla was out there alone, her heart breaking and it was his fault. Greedy for power and determined to possess this rare lass completely, the possibility of hurting her with his intricate plans hadn’t crossed his mind. After traveling with her for a few days and getting to know Kaitla, he’d grown quite fond of her…finally admitting it to himself, he realized he was quite in love with her.
Macvorn was surprised at this revelation. He’d never placed much stock in love…actually considered it a weakness, if the truth were told. But maybe he’d been wrong. Staring up into the pouring rains and lightening filled sky, Macvorn realized that maybe love was a stronger power then he realized. Doggedly continuing his search, he pushed on through the downpour determined to find this woman that had taught him so much.
~*~
Arms wrapped around her knees, Kaitla buried her face, gently rocking back and forth as she wept. Running away from the revelations of the flames, she had come upon a small secluded cave overlooking a deep chasm dividing Mt. Bacchus from the land of Cuchailard below. It was the perfect spot for her to work through her emotions uninterrupted. Once between crashes of thunder, she thought she’d heard Macvorn calling out her name, but she’d only scooted farther away from the opening, huddling quietly to keep from being found.
Thunder and lightening shook the ground as Kaitla mourned the breaking of her heart. Branded into her soul, Kaitla couldn’t erase the sight of Jared and Elsbet’s bodies locked together. How could she have been so naïve? She had felt so sure Jared had truly loved her when they were separated at Clan Gwynedd’s tents. When she had melded with Jared’s mind, she had felt she knew every thought that had ever occurred to him. They had achieved a closeness she never knew could exist. The only thought fortifying her through this whole damn trek had been the final destiny of being with Jared.
They had only been separated for a few days and he had already fallen into Elsbet’s arms. ---And what of that? She’d also thought she could trust Elsbet! Elsbet had sworn to her that she would not lower herself to chase a man that didn’t love her…told her that Jared had never had the desire to bed her, treating her like a sister. None of it made any sense. The more she thought about it, the more confused she grew. How could she have been so wrong?
Scraps of conversations kept surfacing in her mind, puzzling her even more about the vision she’d seen. She replayed the words Elsbet had told her, over and over in her head. Again, she clearly remembered Elsbet telling her Jared had never bedded her. She’d scoffed at how he had always treated her like a sister…why would that suddenly change?…And how could Elsbet get to Cuchailard so quickly? Etain had transported Jared and Hobart, but Etain had departed with Laird Caymber the same day Kaitla and Macvorn left. The more she thought about it the more she doubted what she had actually seen within the flames.
Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Kaitla looked around the cave for the makings of a fire. Her heart was torn with indecision. She didn’t want to see Jared making love to Elsbet but she had to look again…make sure of what she’d seen. Surely, there was something in the vision that she had missed. Scraping together bits of wood lying about the cave, Kaitla soon had enough piled in the center of a few stones to get a fire going. Concentrating on the stones, Kaitla heated them enough to ignite the dry wood. Soon the flames were hungrily licking over the wood as the fire began to grow. Glancing outside, Kaitla noticed the storm seemed to be dying down, the winds growing calmer as her energies became focused with finding the truth. Seating herself in front of the fire, she carefully concentrated until the flames grew intense as they had earlier for Macvorn. Staring intently at the heart of the flames, Kaitla silently beckoned the visions of Jared to return. Soon the shape of the two lovers writhing in the bed appeared in the center of the blaze. As Kaitla forced herself to watch, she began to notice a subtle change in Elsbet’s face. Leaning closer to the vision, Kaitla’s eyes widened as Elsbet’s delicate face gradually took the shape of Ravon’s malignant features. Covering her mouth with her hand, Kaitla swallowed hard to overcome the rising nausea.
As she watched with revulsion at Jared’s coupling with the Ravon headed Elsbet, she noticed he appeared to be in a trance. He never opened his eyes or spoke and once he rolled from Elsbet’s body, he was immediately still with slumber. Kaitla was growing weary with the conjuring but she couldn’t rest until she had seen the rest of the vision. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, concentrating even harder to see what happened next. As she continued watching, she saw the final scene she was never meant to see. She witnessed the awakening Jared’s shock and disbelief. She watched with mounting anger as the sneering Ravon taunted Jared, then escaped through the open window. She saw Jared’s heart breaking as he pounded the floor in misery, fearing his love once again lost.
Extinguishing the revealing flames with a wave of her arm, Kaitla’s eyes narrowed as the wind again began to rise and howl outside the cave. Stepping out onto the overhanging ledge, Kaitla’s hair whipped around her in the wind. Raising her arms to revel in the fierce storm, lightening split the sky as Kaitla swore into the wind. “I come to destroy you, Ravon.”
~*~
As thunder shook the stone walls of the castle of Clan Rheged, Ravon stared warily out the window at the lightening filled sky. A grim sense of satisfaction slowly filled his blackened heart as he turned from the window and the raging storm. “Macvorn must’ve already shown the wee bitch the vision in the flames,” he chuckled sadistically to himself.
Suddenly cocking his head to the side, he grimaced as he vaguely heard Kaitla’s threat float to him upon the wind. Grabbing a hefty tankard of wine from the sideboard, Ravon upended it to his mouth, and gulped down the contents greedily. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he slammed the tankard back to the table, Ravon tried to escape the memories of the last visions he had witnessed in the roaring flames of his own hearth. He had clearly seen Kaitla standing over his body, his own blackened heart in her hand. Surely this vision was merely what might happen and not what was destined to be, he thought frantically to himself. Besides, if the idiot Macvorn kept his word and kept his intended bride away from Ravon, surely the vision couldn’t come to pass.
Ravon wearily dropped into a deep chair beside the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance as he listened to the growling storm outside. Glancing at the over-sized mongrel lying at his feet, he reached over and nudged the beast in the ribs, waking him from a deep sleep.
“Lorrigan, wake up…Yer master needs company,” Ravon slurred drunkenly to the yawning black dog. Rising to a sitting position, the black beast stared at Ravon expectantly…afraid to lay back down for fear Ravon would beat him bloody. Ravon sat precariously on the edge of the chair, slowly weaving to and fro, his equilibrium long since destroyed by the massive amounts of wine he had consumed, attempting to escape his memories.
“I shan’t allow the wee bitch to kill me before I’ve had revenge!” Ravon declared to the dark gaze of the panting dog. “If I canna destroy her…at least I can kill her father.” Frowning darkly into the flames, Ravon grabbed the dog by the ruff, pulling him close, “I’ll see to it that my traitorous mother rues the day she crossed me as well,” he spat into the dog’s face. The huge patient creature simply turned his head, waiting for his master to pass out from the wine. He’d learned long ago if he struggled against Ravon’s grasp; he would pay dearly for it in the end. To this day, he walked with a hitching gait; his back legs partially paralyzed from all the beatings Ravon had dealt him.
Eyes narrowing with sudden recollection, Ravon cruelly shook the dog until he whimpered in fear. “I suppose ye look forward to the day the lass murders me?” he sneered as he threw the dog back to the floor. Glaring at the mongrel with disgust, Ravon cruelly kicked at his ribcage as the dog tried to sidle under the table.
“My death will break the spell, but just remember, Lorrigan…if I have my way about it, nothing ye held dear in yer natural form will exist or remember ye when ye return.” Wheezing with laughter, Ravon staggered out of the room, the echo of his demonic laughter trailing down the hallway behind him.
Once he was positive Ravon was gone, Lorrigan crawled painfully out from his refuge beneath the table. Limping over to the window, he managed to prop his front paws upon the ledge gazing with longing outside. Even though the storm was raging, the driving rain blinding as it slashed across the window, Lorrigan would give anything to be free of the castle of Clan Rheged.
Remembering Ravon’s words, Lorrigan slowly limped back to the hearth, to warm his battered bones by the fire. As he drifted off to sleep, he sent up a silent plea that the Mistress Healer would hurry and release the entire realm from Ravon’s grasp. Only then, would he have the opportunity to gaze into the eyes of hi
s beloved son, and embrace Jared once more to his heart.
~*~
Etain and Laird Caymber arrived at Cuchailard Keep just as the worst of the storm hit. Two spindly stable lads darted through the blowing leaves and driving rain to lead the nervous horses to shelter. Clutching each other for support against the fierce wind, Caymber and Etain ducked their heads as they hurried inside the Keep. Hobart and Mistress Frann waited just inside the doorway, weary faces etched with worry.
“Where is Jared?” Etain asked Hobart as Laird Caymber forced the heavy oak door shut against the raging storm.
Swallowing hard and shuffling his feet nervously, Hobart glanced up at Laird Caymber as he replied, “The lad has gone in search of Kaitla.”
Interrupting Hobart’s immediate confession, Mistress Frann clapped her hands and two servant girls appeared as if by magic, “Take the Laird’s cloak and Etain’s wrap. One of ye run to the pantry and fetch some tea as well,” she ordered briskly. “My Laird, ye must surely wish ta’ rest before dealing with matters of the Keep,” she vainly said, hoping to head off Laird Caymber’s inevitable tirade.
“Jared’s orders were to remain at the Keep until we arrived,” Laird Caymber interrupted, his voice rising with his temper. He was well aware of Mistress Frann’s tactics and he was in no mood to listen to it.
Attempting to herd Etain and Caymber into the sitting room, Mistress Frann quickly countered, “Come and sit, my Laird. Ye both must be weary from the long trip.” She shot Hobart a fierce look from behind the Laird’s back while she was at it. The fool didn’t have to blurt out everything he knew as soon as they walked in the door!
Wilting under Frann’s gaze, Hobart sidled back towards the entryway, “I believe I’ll have a look ta’ the horses. They’ll be needing to be rubbed down well after traveling so far in the storm.”
Reluctantly allowing Frann to herd him into a chair, Laird Caymber pointed a finger at the retreating Hobart, “Get in here and sit!” he bellowed. “The stable boys will tend ta’ the horses. I want to know what’s going on and I want to know now!” He glared at the white faced Hobart and waited impatiently for an explanation.
Awakening Her Soul to Destiny Page 19
