A Heartbeat Back to the Highlands

by Deborah R Stigall

  “Ronan, I would see you in my solar. Now.” Rising from the table, Rachel patiently waited beside her chair for her son to rise to follow her.

  “Mother…” Ronan stared down into his plate, wishing he was back on his ship.

  “Now, Ronan.” Turning, Rachel left the room, confident that her son would have the good sense to follow.

  “I’ll pray for ye.” Dagun leaned over to whisper his support as Ronan slowly rose from his seat.

  “He’ll need it.” Latharn intoned quietly. “Mother’s been storming about the castle for weeks because of wandering brother here.”

  “May the Goddess be with you, Son.” Caelan nodded in agreement. He knew Rachel’s temper and he only hoped Ronan was ready. He could already hear thunder rumbling in the distance and knew the darkening weather was a result of his wife’s current mood. It wouldn’t be the first time the castle had been battered with storms due to Rachel’s temper stirring the elements of nature.

  “Just remember to bury me at sea.” Ronan sullenly rose from his chair, staring at the floor as he made his way out of the room.

  *******

  Ronan entered the room with a sigh. Rachel was standing with her back to the doorway, staring out the window at the rising storm. Not bothering to turn from her study of the blackening thunderheads, she quietly addressed her son.

  “Tell me what’s going on with you, Ronan.”

  Standing with his feet spread and his hands clasped behind his back, Ronan felt as though he was about to be sentenced to hang for piracy.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mother. I just stayed out longer than usual this time.”

  At his words, lightening flashed thru the clouds, the thunder immediately splitting the air to announce how close the pulsating energy had been.

  “Don’t play with me, Boy. It didn’t work when you were a child and it’s not going to work now.” Turning from the window, Rachel’s eyes were purple slits of anger, calculating just how she was going to wring the truth out of her son.

  “You know very well that I’m not referring to the length of time you were at sea. If anyone knows where you belong, don’t you think it’s I?” As soon as Ronan opened his mouth to speak, Rachel cut him off with her continued tirade. “Think long and hard before you try to lie to me, Son. I know you’ve been attempting to block the Mirrors to prevent us from watching over you. I know that you’ve been troubled over …something…I have spoken to the Goddess Bheara.”

  “Enough Mother! Don’t ye think I’m a little old for a scolding?” At Ronan’s words, another streak of lightening flashed thru the sky…this one farther to the west then Rachel’s storm….and brewing over the sea.

  Then a crash of lightening hit so close and so strong, the air smelled of sulfur. The castle walls shook with the force of the blast as the thunder deafened all those within.

  “You would do well to think twice before battling with me. Where do you think you get your gifts?” Rachel’s voice had taken on a lethal tone; her son would not treat her with disrespect.

  Lowering his hands from covering his ears, Ronan’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Forgive me, Mother. I meant no disrespect. But I’m a man grown and can’t be sheltered by you forever.”

  Her head tilting slightly to one side, Rachel sighed as she studied her son. “Your father says I worry too much. But as long as you live and breathe, Ronan, you’ll always be my little boy.”

  Moving closer to place her hand tenderly against his cheek, Rachel lifted Ronan’s face to look her in the eyes. “Please, Son. Let me help you. Tell me what it is that’s clouding those beautiful green eyes.”

  Covering his mother’s hand with his own, Ronan turned his face into her palm. Kissing her softly, he pulled her hand to his chest and looked sadly into her eyes. “I don’t know what it is, Mother. I don’t know how you can help.”

  “Tell me what you’re feeling. Let me look into your eyes and listen to your words. Mayhap, I’ll be able to hear the answer that’s been eluding you.” Rachel stared up into her troubled son’s face, her heart breaking at the sorrow she saw in his eyes.

  “I hear a…a…calling. There is a great sorrow….a great loneliness out there that is beseeching me to find it. But I don’t know where…or who it’s coming from….and the need is growing stronger every day.” Ronan’s voice had dropped to a husky whisper as he finally unburdened his soul.

  Her brows knotting into a worried frown, Rachel slowly backed away from her son. “Do you still feel it…here…when you’re ashore?”

  With a weary sigh, Ronan slowly nodded as he ran his hands thru his coal black hair. “’Tis even stronger now that we’ve reached Scotland. It grew in strength the closer we came to home.”

  Biting her lip as she paced about the room, Rachel slowly shook her head. “You should be safe from the MacKay curse. Faolan should be the only one to suffer that fate.” Continuing to pace across the floor, Rachel lightly tapped her chin in thought.

  “Now ye know why I’ve stayed out so much longer this time.” His gaze dropping guiltily back to the floor, he fidgeted where he stood. “And why I’ve blocked the Mirrors of Time to prevent ye from visiting o’er much while I’m at sea.”

  Shaking her head as her lips tightened in irritation, Rachel shook a stern finger in his direction. “You knew that I’d know something was going on. It would’ve been so much easier if you’d just come to me in the first place.”

  Shrugging his shoulders, he eyed his mother as he heaved a sigh of defeat. “Then tell me, Mother, what is the answer? Just who is it I’m supposed to help…and how?”

  Tapping her fingers against her chin, Rachel returned to pacing around the room. “I don’t know…but I will! Just give me a little time.”

  *******

  The cloaked figure stood in the mouth of the cave, patiently waiting with a flickering torch held high. Far below, the sound of the crashing waves echoed and rumbled up thru the maze of caverns lining the rocky shore.

  Suddenly, a powerful wave crashed against the tunnels, the white foam rising high into the moonlit night. As the water receded, the shapely form of a woman appeared, her white hair glistening by the light of the full moon.

  “Ye know that I demand payment for my favors, do ye not?” The Goddess Bheara spoke quietly to the hooded figure in the cave.

  “Ye have my oath, as we agreed. Ye will never be forgotten.”

  The Goddess frowned as she eyed the face beneath the cloak, her eyes narrowing as she handed over a small sack cinched tightly with a leather cord.

  “Powerful words for a mere mortal. What do ye know of eternity?”

  “I know more of it then you might think.”

  Nodding slightly, Bheara turned in the moonlight to face her beloved sea. “If your oath is broken, ye will be the one to replace that soul. Manannan has grown quite fond of that heartbeat tickling against his chest.”

  Nodding slightly, the hooded figure turned to go. “I promise…my oath will never be broken.”

  ******

  Ronan wrapped his plaid tighter about his shoulders as he quietly left his room. He couldn’t sleep. He didn’t know if it was because the castle failed to gently rock like his ship or because the underlying uneasiness that had been plaguing him for months seemed to be somehow reaching a climax tonight.

  Making his way quietly down the dimly lit hallway, Ronan paused to peer out one of the tall narrow windows facing the cliff overlooking the sea. His beautiful sea. The only place in the entire world where he felt completely at ease. At least until the gnawing pull of some unknown force had started haunting his every waking hour.

  Stepping out into the great hall, Ronan pulled up short as Caelan suddenly blocked his way. “Where are ye off to in the dead of night, son?”

  “I’m going to my ship. I can’t sleep here.” Ronan spoke as quietly as possible to avoid waking several of the clansmen sprawled beneath their plaids on the floor.

  “Your mother is going to
find a way to help ye. She’s searching thru her wee books even now.” Caelan walked to the outer bailey with his son, trying to understand the boy’s connection with the sea.

  “I know she is…but I don’t see how she’s going to be able to shed light upon this shadow. It’s been haunting me now for months. My powers are helpless against it. I’ve tried everything I know to solve this riddle.” Ronan pulled himself up on his horse, a great black stallion pawing in the light of the moon.

  His hand resting on the horse’s powerful neck, Caelan peered up into his son’s frustrated face. “Don’t underestimate your mother’s powers. She’s as tenacious and unrelenting as the thistle of the meadow. Especially when it comes to those she loves….she’ll no’ be at peace until she finds the answer ye seek.”

  His mouth tightening as he took up the reigns, Ronan stared out into the moonlit night. “The call is growing stronger with every passing day. If we canna find the sorrow’s source, I fear I’ll never know peace again.”

  Nodding in solemn understanding, Caelan slapped the horse on the rump. Watching his son ride away into the night, he hoped Rachel found the answer soon.

  *******

  Handing his horse off to the clansman guarding the stables, Ronan hurried to the gangplank connecting the dock to his ship. He could almost feel a weight lifting from his shoulders as he felt the gentle swell of the waves beneath his feet.

  With a sigh of relief, he entered the Captain’s quarters, tossing his plaid across a chair. Glancing out the huge bay windows, he felt the tension ease in his shoulders at the sight of the moonlight dancing atop the waves.

  Throwing himself atop the huge feather bed, Ronan stretched and yawned as he folded his hands behind his head. His eyelids were already growing heavy with the easy rocking of the ship. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, his senses perked at the sound of a faint thumping coming from somewhere close by.

  Propping himself up on one elbow, Ronan frowned as he searched the room for the source of the sound. Cocking his head slightly, he leaned forward as his gaze fell on a small leather pouch sitting on the table beside his bed.

  Gingerly lifting the pouch from its resting place, Ronan’s eyes narrowed as the thumping sound seemed to grow stronger. Unwrapping the leather cord from about the neck of the bag, Ronan frowned as he peered inside. Slowly upending the bag over his palm, Ronan pursed his lips together as he recognized the Goddess Bheara’s locket.

  As he rubbed his thumb across the glowing moonstone encrusted in the cover, Ronan felt the locket tremble with the rhythm of the beating heart within. As he clutched the locket in his hand, he felt a stirring in his chest, almost as though his own heart was trying to beat in sync with the thumping emitting from the tiny golden case.

  Bursting out of the Captain’s quarters, Ronan climbed the steps leading to the uppermost deck. Facing the open sea, he held his fist up to the moonlight, the chain of the locket draping down the length of his arm.

  “Bheara!” Ronan roared into the wind, his eyes scanning the cresting waves. He waited impatiently, watching every movement of the water. The Goddess had never ignored his call.

  With each passing moment, his irritation grew. He knew the Goddess would have the answers to the mystery he held in his hand.

  “Bheara! Come to me!” Ronan leaned against the railing of the deck, shouting against the waves washing against the side of the ship. Minutes passed and the longer he waited the more he knew his summons would go unanswered.

  Leaning back against the railing, Ronan turned the locket in his hands. He could sense the energy lying trapped inside. He could feel the entity’s fear. He watched as the glowing light of the moonstone flickered in time with the beating of the imprisoned heart.

  “Mother will know.” Retrieving the pouch from the floor of his quarters, Ronan carefully placed the locket back inside. Tucking it securely into the inner folds of his shirt, he stomped down the gangplank back to shore.

  Reigning in his horse in the outer bailey of the castle, Ronan didn’t even bother tying off the steed. The only thing on his mind was the mysterious locket and the heartbeat imprisoned within. Taking the steps to the upper level two at a time, he shouted down the passage as he neared his parent’s chambers. “Mother! Mother! Awake!” Ronan didn’t care if the entire castle heard his call.

  Throwing open the door to their chambers, Rachel tied her robe around her waist as she met Ronan in the hall. “What is it? What’s wrong? I thought you’d gone to sleep aboard your ship.”

  “I was going to sleep on my ship. In fact, I was nearly asleep when this demanded my attention.” Pulling the pouch out of his shirt, he thrust it into his mother’s hands.

  Pushing her hair behind one ear, Rachel slowly drew the necklace from the pouch. Her eyes narrowing as she studied the piece, she held it aloft by the chain. The pulsating locket slowly spun, the glowing moonstone creating an eerie aura around the entire locket.

  “Where did you get this?” Rachel spoke as though in a daze, her voice low as she cradled the locket in her hands.

  “It was at my bedside when I boarded my ship. It’s Bheara’s locket. I know…because I’ve seen it before.” Ronan slowly circled his mother as he watched her press the locket to her chest.

  Closing her eyes, Rachel’s face drew into a frown as she concentrated on the thing in her hands. Tilting her head slightly to one side, she seemed to be listening to something only she could hear.

  Opening her eyes, she put the locket back in the pouch and cinched it tightly shut with a jerk of the leather ties. “Did you call to Bheara?”

  “Aye….twice and I used my druid’s powers to strengthen the call.” Ronan watched his mother’s face, growing more worried by something he couldn’t quite identify in her eyes.

  “And…what did the Goddess tell you?” Setting the pouch on the table just inside the room; Rachel shook her head at Caelan as he reached for his sword.

  “For the first time in my life, she ignored my call. She didn’t even send so much as a breeze to flutter my sails.” Ronan ran a worried hand thru his hair as he stared down at his feet.

  “What does it mean, Rachel?” Caelan warily eyed the pouch, still toying with the idea of cleaving it in two with his sword.

  Inhaling deeply, Rachel bit her lower lip as she worried with the tassles of her robe. “The call you’ve been hearing, the pull of loneliness and sorrow…is definitely coming from within the locket. I don’t know who or what has been entombed in that piece, but their soul is crying out to be set free.”

  Ronan picked up the pouch and dumped the locket back out into his palm, once more rubbing across the moonstone with his thumb. “Why would Bheara entrap a soul? Why wouldn’t she answer my call?”

  Wearily rubbing her hands across her eyes, Rachel shrugged her shoulders as she perched on the side of the bed. “I don’t know, Son. I do know that the Goddess Bheara is a temperamental one, as changing as the sea itself. I also don’t know if it would be safe to release whatever she’s snared inside that tiny golden tomb.”

  “If it was evil, I would feel it. I know I would. All I sense is loneliness…and a great sadness and desire to be free.” Ronan held the locket closer to his chest, determined to listen to it as his mother had. The closer he held the locket to his heart, the brighter the moonstone glowed.

  “Stop! Put it down until we’ve had more time to study it. I also want to see what Emrys has to say.” Rachel snatched the necklace from Ronan’s hands and shoved it back in the bag.

  “Listen to your mother,” Caelan ordered, holding Ronan back. His hands tightened on Ronan’s shoulders, preventing him from picking the bag up from the table. “Whatever is in that locket has been there for some time. One more night of waiting to be freed isn’t going to hurt it.”

  Swallowing hard, Ronan finally nodded as he realized his parents were right. One more night of loneliness would be a small price to pay, if it meant they might be able to solve the mystery tomorrow.

 
; *******

  Rachel shook her head as she stepped into the main hall of the castle to find her son sleeping with his head on a table. She thought when Ronan had left her chambers last night that he would at least try going back to his room. Instead, he’d gone to the great hall and pillowed his head in his arms.

  She’d lain awake half the night, listening to the tiny heartbeat emitting from the bag. She’d tried to figure out how Ronan had come to possess the Goddess Bheara’s most prized possession. She also couldn’t seem to figure out why Cailleach Bheara had ignored her son’s call. The Goddess had shown up the first time Ronan had called to the sea, showing up as a friendly sea lion. Ronan had been a mere six months old at that time, and she’d harkened to every call he’d made since.

  Rolling the pouch gingerly around in her hands, Rachel took the steps to Emrys’ library. Perhaps the old druid was awake by now and might be able to shed some light of his own.

  “Don’t ye dare bring that infernal thing in here! It’s kept me awake all night and I’m too old for such nonsense!” Emrys grumbled thru the door, refusing to open it wider than an inch.

  “Emrys! Ronan needs our help. I can’t believe you’re refusing to help my son.”

  Rachel leaned her body against the door, determined that he allow her entry. There had to be some information in the massive library. Druidic lore was traditionally passed from master to apprentice by rote. Nothing was ever put upon a page. But Emrys had traveled to the future and seen the power of the written word. He’d learned the value and wisdom of not relying upon memory alone. Since he’d had no son or apprentice, he’d taken it upon himself to record his vast knowledge of the mysteries. He didn’t want the knowledge of all the ages lost to the mists of time.