Love Beyond Words: Book 9 of Morna’s Legacy Series

by Bethany Claire

  He looked confused as I started to cry.

  “Laurel, calm down. It can’t possibly be as bad as all that. Just tell me.”

  “I know I told you about the documentary and the book. Those really are the reasons I wanted to come here. Although, as we both know now, they were what Morna used to prep me for where she was sending us.”

  Marcus reached for my hands and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth across my knuckles. It pained me more than he could know that he was trying to comfort me as I was trying to figure out how to deliver news to him that would change his life forever.

  “I know all that, Laurel.”

  “I know. But there’s something I left out. Something I didn’t tell you about the book that I found.”

  He didn’t look worried.

  “Okay…what didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’re going to hate me, Marcus.”

  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. It made my heart ache.

  “I could never hate you.”

  I took a deep breath and braced myself.

  “There was a portrait in the book. A portrait of The Eight. You were in the portrait.”

  He didn’t seem to understand.

  “Well, we are here now, aren’t we? Maybe the portrait is painted while we’re here.”

  “No, you weren’t next to The Eight. You were one of the The Eight.”

  I took another deep, shaky breath as I watched realization set it.

  “I don’t think they’re inside your head, Marcus. I think your own powers are starting to come to the surface. I think you’re destined to be one of The Eight.”

  Chapter 29

  The sudden burst of magic throughout the castle startled him from his sleep. The magic of The Eight was connected—each could feel when another used their powers. This magic was different. It belonged to another.

  Raudrich rose from bed quickly. As he stepped outside of Calder’s room, he could hear the others rousing. Such a change in the energy of the castle wouldn’t go unnoticed by any of them.

  Ludo, whose room lay next to Calder’s, joined him in the hallway.

  “What in the name of Brighid was that? It couldna have been Calder, aye? We would’ve known if it were him.”

  It wasn’t Calder. If Calder had used his powers or tried to sever them from The Eight, it would’ve been recognizable. This magic was not.

  “No, ’twas not Calder.”

  Quinn appeared at the end of the hallway, and together they moved to meet him.

  “Has anyone seen to Machara? Could it be her?”

  As if summoned, Nicol entered the castle doors from his place in the garden. While he possessed no powers of his own, he was linked to the castle and all within it. He could feel the use of magic just like the rest of them.

  “I shall make certain she is still locked away. Gather everyone else. We must discern what has just happened.”

  As Raudrich watched Nicol run toward his bedchamber, he turned to look at Ludo and Quinn.

  “I doona believe this is Machara’s doing. ’Twas not the magic of the fae.”

  “I agree.” Quinn’s voice was sure and certain. “There was no malice in it, though it felt strong and somehow uncontrolled.”

  Raudrich racked his mind for an answer. In truth, there was only one possibility, even as shocking as it was.

  “The magic came from within the castle, aye? We can all agree on that?”

  Both men nodded in agreement.

  “And we know that ’twas not one of us. There is only one other answer, lads. The magic came from one of our guests. Either Marcus is a druid or Laurel a witch.”

  Was it possible that he’d spent so much time with her and not seen it? Could she have hidden it from him so well?

  He had to find out straight away.

  Before either man could even respond to him, he took off toward his own bedchamber, calling after Ludo and Quinn as he left.

  “Ye two round up the others. I shall go to Nicol to make certain all is well with Machara. Then, I shall collect Laurel and Marcus, and we will get to the bottom of this in the dining hall.”

  * * *

  There was no time to gauge Marcus’ reaction. The moment I told him my suspicion, the door to the bedchamber flew open and Raudrich stepped inside.

  His expression was surprised. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said he looked wounded. He looked quickly between me and Marcus and then locked his gaze with mine. He didn’t blink as he spoke.

  “Is it ye, Laurel? If so, why dinna ye tell me? I trusted ye with everything ye wished to know about this castle without a second thought. It hurts me that ye dinna trust me enough to do the same.”

  Marcus was silent next to me and his own gaze was turned downward. I could see him wrestling with what I’d just told him. If not for his own experiences before waking me, he would’ve laughed at my suspicions, but the incident had been enough to make him wonder if it could be true, and he didn’t have the slightest idea how to handle it, if it was.

  I stood and walked the short distance to Raudrich and gently reached for his arm. He stepped away to prevent me from touching him.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The magic, lass. Everyone in the castle felt it. Did Morna even send ye here, or did ye tell me that so I wouldna learn ye were a witch?”

  I chuckled.

  “Well, I sure didn’t feel it. I’m not a witch, Raudrich. I didn’t even know true magic existed until a few days ago.”

  He looked as if he meant to argue with me, but before he could do so, Marcus stood from his seat on the end of the bed.

  “Neither did I, but apparently I possess it. It was me. Whatever happened, it was me.”

  Raudrich’s expression softened at Marcus’ tone. He could hear the weariness and confusion in it.

  “Ye dinna know, did ye, lad?”

  Marcus shook his head. I tried to catch his gaze as he walked over to us, but he wouldn’t look at me. A knot settled in my stomach. He was going to do exactly as Morna had predicted in my dream. He was going to push me away.

  “Of course I didn’t know.”

  “Has anything strange ever happened around ye before?”

  “No.”

  Raudrich reached out and gently clasped Marcus on the shoulder.

  “There is much we must discuss with ye. I know ye must have many questions and even more reservations. We are the only ones that can explain any of this to ye. Will ye come with me to the dining hall? The men are gathering there.”

  Nodding, Marcus stepped toward the doorway. When I reached out to touch his arm, he whirled on me.

  “Don’t touch me, Laurel, and don’t say a word. I know it was me that suggested we come back to Scotland, but I did that for you. I came here for you. And you suspected before we even left this might be my fate, and you didn’t care enough about me to tell me that. If I’d known, I never would’ve come here. You took that from me, Laurel. You took away my choice. You’ve taken away my life. How can I possibly ever forgive you for that?”

  One tear fell down his cheek, and with it, my heart broke completely.

  Sobbing, I tried to reason with him.

  “Marcus, I’m so sorry. I should’ve…”

  He held up a hand to stop me.

  “Don’t. You’re selfish, Laurel. So damned selfish. I’m done with you. If I’m going to be trapped here forever, I sure as hell don’t want you here with me. Start looking for a way to get Morna to send you home. Until you find one, stay out of my sight.”

  He stormed away as I sobbed. Once Marcus was out of earshot, Raudrich pulled me into a hug.

  “Lass, I think it best that ye stay away from the dining hall today. This shan’t be easy on the lad, but with time he will see this for what ’tis—his destiny. He will make his peace with it, and when he does, he will see that ye are not the one to blame. I’ll seek ye out later, lass.”

  I stood shaking in the doorway, tears running d
own my face, for hours.

  I’d never felt more ashamed or alone.

  Chapter 30

  Sometime during the middle of the afternoon—long after I’d run out of tears—I began to hear lots of movement in the hallways and throughout the castle. Whatever they were doing, the men seemed to be in a hurry. While my curiosity was killing me, I knew better than to leave Raudrich’s room. Marcus didn’t want to see me. I wasn’t particularly keen to see him either.

  So, as the footsteps, hollering, and commotion continued, I knew I needed to find a way to occupy myself. Otherwise, I would lose my mind. First, I set out to light a fire, which to my everlasting surprise, I succeeded in doing. Second, I shamelessly rummaged around Raudrich’s room and opened every chest until I found what I was looking for—parchment, ink well, and a quill.

  There was only one person I wanted to talk to. One person that could make me feel a little less alone and hated.

  It took me a bit of time to get used to the ink and the rough way the tip of the quill scraped against the thickness of the paper, but I was eventually able to write something legible.

  Morna,

  I’m going to trust that your word was true and try throwing this note into the fire. If so, send me something, some way that I can speak to my sister. I miss her and I’m really in need of a talk with her–a real one. Not some cloaked version of you that you send to me in my dreams.

  Laurel

  Tearing the parchment just below my small note, I folded it up and tossed it into the fire. All it did was burn. Frustrated, I moved to the windowsill and looked down into the steep slope of forest that cascaded down the hill surrounding the castle. As I stared across the landscape, there was a slight swooshing sound behind me. I turned to see a folded note fly out of the flames, totally untouched by fire, and land gently on the writing desk where I’d just been sitting,

  I hurried over to the table, gently touched the note’s edge to make certain it wasn’t warm and tore it open.

  Laurel,

  I know that neither of you seem to believe me, but I do only lie when it is absolutely necessary, lass. If I told you that you could reach me this way, I meant it. Walk over to Raudrich’s wardrobe and open the door. At the bottom you will find what you need, but for the love of God, lass, keep it hidden. It would never do for something so modern to be discovered in the time you’re in.

  It seemed like too much to hope for, but I stood and ran over to the wardrobe and nearly tore the handle from the door in my haste to see if it could possibly be true.

  It was.

  Right at the bottom lay a phone. Beaming, I picked it up and ran back over to the parchment to respond.

  I suppose this doesn’t actually need service to work, does it? Thank you.

  It wasn’t a serious question. I knew, of course, that the phone would need no towers or battery to work.

  Morna’s response was almost instantaneous.

  Of course not. Laurel, this phone shall be the last gift I give you and the last time I’ll respond to anything you may write, for I know where your questions will lead, and I can’t help you with what must come next. History has cast the die over what shall happen with Machara and the men of this castle. In this case, it wouldn’t do for me to interfere. There are too many lives destined to take part in this story, too many things that need to fall into place.

  I know you must think this very hypocritical of me, and perhaps it is. From reading my own story, you know that I’ve changed history more than once, but this time, history doesn’t need my meddling to work out well in the end. Remember that when it feels like your world is falling apart.

  With love and hope, I leave you.

  Morna

  I stared at the note, reading it over and over again as I tried to process what she might mean. I had a sinking feeling that I already knew.

  Despite her warning, I scribbled out another note and threw it into the flames.

  Does this mean that I’m stuck here? What about my family? What about Marcus’ family? What about our lives back home?

  I waited the rest of the day for her answer.

  It never came.

  And that in and of itself was answer enough.

  I would never see Boston again.

  * * *

  At first Raudrich believed it wasn’t working. Perhaps, Marcus’ magic was still too new. Mayhap, they would have to teach him to wield his new powers before its strength was potent enough for the spell to bind him to The Eight.

  But then, slowly, as their chanting continued, Marcus’ face distorted in pain as Machara’s screeches rose up from her cell beneath them. The room shook around them as the binds took hold.

  Marcus was now one of The Eight.

  It should’ve been a relief to all of them, but as Raudrich looked into the eyes of his brethren, he knew the same worry weighed heavily on all of them.

  Until Calder was found and his true motive for leaving known, they were no safer today than they’d been the day before.

  Chapter 31

  It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only agreement they could come to.

  Marcus’ magic was now bound, but it would take months for him to learn to harness the powers that were still his own. He would have to be trained as soon as possible.

  Marcus wasn’t the only pressing matter. Finding Calder was just as important.

  So, after much discussion and many an argument, a plan was set.

  All would leave the castle, save him. He would stay to keep an eye on Machara and to see that Laurel was safe. They couldn’t risk Laurel leaving with the men who would go in search of Calder, and Marcus wouldn’t hear of having her near him.

  Even Nicol would leave with the other men—something he’d not done in over a decade.

  Paton, Quinn, Ludo, and Marcus would leave for the Isle’s furthest corner, far away from the castle where they would spend the following fortnight training The Eight’s newest member and helping him to adjust to his new life among them. Such training couldn’t be done near the castle grounds where Machara could listen in. She would only look for ways to exploit Marcus’ weaknesses if they remained close to her.

  The others—Harry, Maddock, and Nicol would leave for the Scottish mainland where they would begin to search and inquire into Calder’s whereabouts. He couldn’t have gotten far in the span of only a few days. Once they found him, they would hold him prisoner until Marcus’ training was complete. Then as a group, they would decide what was to be done with him.

  If his only trespass had been his thoughtless words about Laurel, forgiveness would’ve been the only possibility. They all knew just how easily Machara’s power could strike fear into their hearts. Fear could make a fool of any man. What was less easily decided was whether his abandonment was enough to cast him out. If so, it would be a heartbreaking decision for them all.

  “What should I do while the rest of ye are away? Is there some task undone, some measure I could take to further assure our safety that was neglected while I was gone?”

  Raudrich felt rather useless standing there, watching every other man in the castle ready their horses for their journey. Not that he wished to leave. It was clear that someone must stay and tend to the castle, and there was no possibility of him allowing another man to stay here with Laurel alone.

  Harry walked over and roughly punched his arm.

  “Come now, Raudrich. We all know that even if I were to tell ye something ye could do, ye are unlikely to do it, not with Laurel about. Ye think of nothing else even when we are here. When we are away, it shall only be the two of ye—possibly for some time.”

  The anticipation of such extended time with her both delighted and filled him with dread. It was important that he tread carefully with the lass even if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

  “Aye, I know. I shall be in need of a distraction.”

  “I’ll not be the one to give ye one. Ye must know that every last one of us would gladly take yer place if we could
. To have a lassie as lovely as Laurel, one that clearly likes ye, is a gift I’ll not let ye waste. This life we lead here has denied each of us happiness that all men should know. If ye have a chance at finding love, lad, take it. Besides.” Harry laughed and clasped his arm. “I know we give ye a hard time for leaving us these past two years, but we all know ye dinna have a choice. And I’d reckon ye worked far harder in those two years than the rest of us have in a decade. Think of this time here as a respite for ye. ’Tis likely we’ve some tough choices ahead, so find some joy in the days ahead while ye can.”

  If they did decide to remove Calder from The Eight, the decision would weigh on no one as much as Harry. Harry had been like a father to Calder for most of his life. It pained Raudrich to know how difficult all of this must be for him.

  “I’m sorry, Harry. I know that all this with Calder has been difficult for ye.”

  Harry cleared his throat and looked to the ground.

  “Aye, and I canna help but bear some responsibility for it. I’ve known for some time Calder was struggling. I should’ve paid him more mind. There is no true evil in Calder’s heart. I’ve hope still that if we find him, his reason for this all will be clear. Doona give up on him yet.”

  Raudrich nodded. Even with the anger he had for Calder, it wasn’t an easy thing to give up on family.

  “I shan’t. Safe travels, friend. May he be safe and well when ye find him.”

  Harry walked away from him and mounted his horse with ease as the rest of the men waved and took off toward the gate. He called back to him as he took his place at the tail end of the group.

  “Enjoy yerself, Raudrich. Doona squander time that the rest of us would cherish. Farewell for now, my friend.”

  He waited until he could no longer see them before turning toward the castle.