“Sure, the cat is out of the bag, then?” she attempted to jest, but no one uttered a word. “I am an O’Rorke, then, am I, Mara? Teige O’Rorke is my father?” Alainn questioned.
The woman stared into her daughter’s eyes as she softly spoke. “Aye, but its certain no one will believe that to be truth until you find the other portion of the amulet.”
“I believe it without question,” said Lady Siobhan. “I see many likenesses to my brother.”
“Aye, she is very much like him,” Mara murmured.
When Alainn tried to stand, she was overcome with dizziness and fell back into Killian’s arms. He cursed under his breath. “Alainn you are never ever to use your powers as you did this day. Not to that extent! Not ever, do you hear me, woman?”
“And you must not enter the spirit world, Alainn, for ’tis not always possible to return. Morag should have known that. Why did she call you there?” Mara asked.
“She did not call me, but I know there is something she must tell me. It regards the other portion of the amulet.”
“Why does she not come to you then to speak to you?”
“I have not seen her since the day her body was laid in the ground. I don’t know why she seems unwilling or incapable of coming to me.”
Riley looked at them in complete disbelief of their unusual discussion, as if he would explode into a rage.
“You are the witch’s daughter? How could you deceive us all in such a manner?”
“It was not a purposeful deception, Riley.”
“How long have you known, Alainn?” asked Killian.
“I have only discovered my father’s identity this very day. It finally came to me when I was standing here earlier. And I have known about my mother for not much longer.”
“How long?” Killian asked flatly.
“A few weeks.”
“And you didn’t think you might share that information with me? ’Tis not as though there has been no opportunity to tell me!”
“Do not flay her for this, Killian O’Brien. Would you be so eager to share such information knowing what ramifications would surely follow?”
“She should have told me, Mara. You should have told me, Alainn,” he chastised softly, his hands gently cupping her cheeks and framing her sad blue eyes.
Mara stood up and went to Lady Siobhan, who stiffened as if approached by a snake. The Glade Witch frowned. “I loved your brother more than a soul should ever love another. But, he was taken from me by your father-in-law, a truly loathsome man. He brutally violated me, and I uttered an impulsive, retaliatory curse born of desperation, and I have regretted it every day since. I’ve oft attempted to withdraw the curse but have not managed it. I do not expect you to forgive me, Siobhan, but I hope you might one day understand the reasoning.”
“How a woman could cause such pain for another! You caused my babies to die! Five beautiful, precious babes! All innocent, all dead because of you and your damnable curse! How can you ever expect me to understand that?”
“I was young and heartsick and alone. The chieftain would not allow me to see or speak with Teige. He tore us apart. I know he would never have simply left me as the man claimed he did. We were deeply in love. We had just learned I carried our child!”
“So Alainn is my uncle’s bastard child?” Riley accused.
“She is no bastard. We were wed, legally wed by the chieftain’s priest, but when the chieftain learned of it, he had Teige sent off and the marriage annulled, but we’d been wed for over a month. The marriage was legal and binding. But, a chieftain has the power to do whatever he pleases to destroy people’s lives at will.”
“As do you, apparently. That’s what you did with your vile, unforgivable curse!” the chieftain’s wife exclaimed, her voice filled with rage; her eyes, with tears.
Alainn had heard enough. She pulled from Killian’s arms and stalked over to the women. “Sorry I am to resort to this,” she said in a testy voice, “but I feel it is the only way to resolve this,” and she took her mother’s hand in one hand, Lady Siobhan’s in the other. “You think it impossible to know what the other feels? I assure you ’tis not entirely true, for ’tis something I am made to contend with every single day of my life.”
With that, Alainn closed her eyes and focused, and in moments the two women tensed and cried out, each wearing a stunned expression that grew more intense. Riley ran to stop Alainn from touching his mother, but Killian and Rory grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground. The women were shaking, moaning, sobbing uncontrollably, tears spilling down their ashen-colored cheeks when Alainn finally released them. They grabbed each other in a desperate embrace and continued sobbing as they sunk to the ground together.
“What did she do? What just happened?” Rory demanded of his grandfather.
“Alainn must be an empath. She feels other’s pain, a rare druid ability possessed by few, but she is somehow able to transfer this empathy to others. ’Tis an ability I’ve never heard of before.”
Alainn walked away from the group and sat down, exhausted. She looked around at the various expressions, at the tension and unhappiness, the skepticism and betrayal and it was suddenly all too much for her to bear. She stood up and began to walk away.
“You’ll not escape from me, Alainn,” Killian said, clasping his hand around her wrist. “We have much to discuss.”
“ ’Tis not the time, Killian, not when you harbor such embitterment toward me.”
“Aye well, that will take some time to dissipate, I’d wager.”
“Then, we’ll not speak for some time.”
“You should have told me, Alainn. It hurts me to know you trust me so little, that you felt you needed to conceal all this from me. That you had to bear this on your own.”
“I tried to tell you—”
“You did not speak of any of this to me.”
“In the letter I wrote to you, I attempted to explain it all to you.”
“And you could not tell me face to face?”
She shook her head. “I hoped to never see the look in your eyes that I now see.”
Alainn wanted desperately to be free of him at the moment. Could he not understand how tired she was with all of it?
“I have always treasured our friendship and valued highly our ability to talk to each other. Now you conceal much from me. You distance me from your life and try to push me away. I thought my greatest wish would be to spend forever with you, Alainn, but I am now uncertain if I can ever couple our fates.”
Her blue eyes flashed with fury.
“I have never requested that you join fates with me!”
“If you have taken her virtue, Killian,” said the O’Rorke who had slipped up behind them unnoticed, “then by druid law you are already joined. No ceremony or ritual is necessary, for the physical intimacy deems you are one for all time.”
“With all due respect, Milord,” said Alainn through gritted teeth, her cheeks flushing red, “I think my virtue is truly none of your concern. I feel in my bones you are my grandfather, but I hardly think whether I am virtuous or not is something to be considered when you have only just learned of my true identity. And even if I were to admit to having lost my virtue, why do you assume it is Killian who has deflowered me?”
Rory snorted. Killian looked affronted. The old man simply addressed her calmly.
“I doubt you would give your virtue or your amulet to just anyone. It is clear the two of you love each other, and if you have lost your virtue it is of great interest to me. The loss of innocence can cause a great many hidden powers to present themselves. Have you experienced new abilities recently or have you always had such abilities?”
“There have been some I did not possess until recently.”
“After your virtue was taken?”
“It was not taken!” Alainn stormed, then she shrugged. “It was given as freely as my amulet.”
“Then you are truly joined. Whether you believe it or not, it is so. But, I am cer
tain your strong Christian upbringing will require an actual ceremony,” he said, addressing Killian.
“Aye, there will be a ceremony.”
“I will wed no one who only marries me out of feelings of guilt or obligation, and I will not have it decided for me as though I were a piece of livestock!” Alainn fumed.
The older man looked at her with dwindling patience. “Do not be unreasonable, child. You will need to be protected, and if Killian is the one who has claimed your virtue, then he must be the one to wed you.”
“I will not be ordered to wed someone just because he bedded me, nor will I be forced to marry a man who just now voiced great displeasure in the very consideration of being with me for eternity!”
“Alainn, you must listen to reason. You are a female, and though your powers are strong and unusual, you need a man to watch over you, to guide you and protect you!”
“You cannot possibly know just how mule-headed your granddaughter is, Niall,” complained Killian. “She is much opposed to being told what to do and is unreasonable to the point of exasperation a good deal of the time.”
“Then as her husband, though you may not control her, you must ground her.”
“It would be much appreciated if you did not refer to him as my husband, for he is not and surely never will be. And by the look on his face, it would appear it is truly not what he wants any time soon.”
Alainn saw both her mother and Lady Siobhan coming toward them and felt herself being cornered. She glanced at Killian with a somewhat regretful expression, imagined herself in the fairy glade, closed her eyes, and disappeared, leaving everyone in complete disbelief.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alainn opened her eyes. Though she had wished herself inside the fairy glade, she was surprised to find she was not actually within the glade. She could see the thick briar bushes surrounding the fairy glade, and as she stared up at the portal, it begin to glow and hum, a sign that accompanied the portal’s opening, but it remained closed.
Perhaps without her amulet to ensure passage within the glade, she was not allowed access within. And perhaps it was truly not a wise consideration to attempt it at such a precarious time. The beings in the perimeter realm of the Unseelie Court might latch onto her, since her heart and soul were presently filled with deep uncertainty and torment.
She jumped when she heard a deep mellow voice behind her.
“You would be wise to stay clear of this location, White Witch.”
It was the large, dark-skinned man with many peculiar markings on his skin who she had met once before; he had called her a white witch. Mara claimed he knew much of magic and may be able to help end the curse. But she had warned her to be wary of the man until they knew whether he was trustworthy. “I am Alainn,” she offered, “what is your name?”
“I am called Ramla, foreseer of the future. Heed my words, White Witch. Though the magical place deep within these brambles is filled with many a benevolent being, you must first pass through the outer edges where much evil lives. There are those who would be interested in learning your magic. I sense it.”
“And what do you know of my magical abilities?”
The large man moved closer, and his aura grew steadily brighter. When he dared touch her hand, she too was surrounded by the ethereal light. She sighed deeply, feeling that he meant her no harm.
“I was alerted to your great display of magic this day. Anyone who possesses supernatural abilities, whether dark or benevolent, will surely know of the event for it was of an unusual magnitude not often witnessed.”
She was about to question him further when there was a rustling in the nearby trees and out stepped Wolf. She cried his name, and he came bounding over to her. She was surprised to see the young soldier, Danhoul Calhoun, following him.
“Why is Wolf with you?” she asked.
“He came to me. Seemed insistent I follow. Are you unharmed, Alainn?”
“Aye, I am safe and well.”
“I would not see harm befall her,” the other man said defensively.
“Aye, ’twas not you I was implying would see her harmed.”
The dog ran to her side. Even in his advancing age, he was a large, strong animal and so tall, his back was in line with Alainn’s waist. He nuzzled her hand, and she rubbed his snout.
As Danhoul approached, his skin began to glow as well. They stood together, and the circle of light encompassed them all, growing steadily more brilliant. Alainn felt her skin tingle and grow warmer. Her body became less taut. Her cares began to lighten.
“Ah, so yours is the other magical presence I have sensed,” Ramla said to the younger man. “I am relieved to know there are others with such abilities who do not lean toward the dark side of their powers.”
“Aye, I am Danhoul Calhoun,” he said, offering his hand. “And sure, there are many more beings that choose to use their abilities for malevolent purposes.”
“This is Ramla, Danhoul. He seems to know much of magic.”
Danhoul and Alainn listened as the man continued with his ominous warnings.
“You must keep clear of the evil-doers, White Witch, for they long to learn more of your powers and will attempt to make them their own.”
The young soldier nodded his head.
“Perhaps you would be best advised to keep your magic at bay for a time, White Witch. All will be keeping an ever watchful eye on you for a time.”
“I’m not certain that is the best advisement,” the younger man said. “I understand there will be many beings watching Alainn, but if she does not practice and hone her magical skills, they will be unpredictable and of little benefit in protecting her.”
“So what is it I am to do then?” she asked, confused. “Do I keep my powers hidden? Do I practice them so that they might assist me? Morag, a valued healer and the woman who raised me, often warned me to keep my abilities a secret, that I should not reveal them or develop them lest I become unable to control them. Yet the Glade Witch, who I have recently learned is my mother, always insisted I should use my magic and learn from it.”
“There are few certainties with magic, White Witch,” Ramla said solemnly.
“Sure, the old healer did what she thought best for you, Alainn,” said Danhoul. “She wanted to keep you safe from those who would misunderstand you or persecute you. But these abilities are part of you and sure there is a reason why you possess them. If you do not learn exactly what you can achieve by way of your magic, if you do not practice and test it, you may never know the full extent of your powers and the limitations. How will it benefit you should you be forced to use it to protect yourself or those you care for?”
The large man nodded in agreement.
“It is surely wise to call upon your powers only when alone or in the company of those you can trust entirely,” he said. “Use them only during daylight, unless it is necessary to protect yourself,” he warned.
“An oak grove offers protection,” said Danhoul.
“Aye, and there are herbs and spells that offer magical protection as well,” Alainn added.
“And if you find means to enter the fairy glade without passing through the Unseelie Court, you shall receive protection from all within there as well. Outside of the glade when you are using magic, it may be wise to have one of us nearby for we may be able to assist you in detecting if a malevolent being is near. But, do not dare to enter the spirit world as you did this day!”
“But I felt as though I was being summoned to the spirit world by Morag, there is a subject of grave importance she wishes to discuss with me.”
“Then she must come to you, White Witch.”
“She cannot, surely something prevents it.”
“Aye, it is a dark spirit or an evil entity,” Danhoul stated.
“You know of this, Danhoul?”
“Aye, and of the dark being within the castle’s dungeon.”
Although Alainn was grateful to be in the company of those who also laid claim to m
agical abilities, with so many warnings and so few certainties, even surrounded by the healing light, she now felt little relief.
“What do you know regarding ending or undoing a curse?” she asked.
“Was it a curse born of a potion?” the big man asked in a deep voice.
“No.”
“A purposeful spell chanted at midnight under a full moon?”
“It was cast after darkness, and I have no notion the time of night or phase of moon, but no, it was not a spell given mediation or thoughtfulness.”
“So it was one spoken in fury and anger, a curse uttered in retribution for a wrongdoing done to the person who issued the curse?” Danhoul queried.
“Aye, precisely that!”
“Ah, the most difficult type of curse to reverse or undo.”
“To reverse it would cause the conditions of the curse to fall upon the one who issued the curse,” said Ramla.
“Well the issuer was my mother and that would indicate her line would die out, an option I am not so very fond of,” Alainn said dryly.
“Not a useful end.”
“And there is no means to simply undo the curse?” Alainn’s voice portrayed little hope in a solution.
“Does the person who was cursed yet live, White Witch?”
“No, he met his death many years ago.”
“ ’Tis unlikely then,” the young Irish soldier relayed. “And is the end of the O’Brien line the only stipulation of the curse? Are there other conditions that might be met to alleviate it?”
“Aye, if I am accepted as nobility by the O’Briens. If I regain all that was taken away by them.”
“Then, I sense you should not be without hope. It is truth you are a daughter of a noble man. What proof is needed so that the O’Briens will believe it so?”
“Morag’s spirit attempts to assist me with this, but cannot come to me. Her presence is blocked somehow, and the only other proof, a piece of metal with the druid family crest, apparently lies within the dungeon walls.”
“Protected by a dark being.”
“Aye, it is surely so.”
“We will do what we can to assist you, White Witch. I will attempt to calm the dark entities with my magic,” the older man assured her.
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