Highlander's Magic

by Joanne Wadsworth

  “Okay, but you’ve gotta give me more than ‘I’m the key.’”

  “That’s not how my forewarning works. It’s you who figures out a resolution. I can only say you’re the one who discovers it.”

  “I seriously, seriously hate your skill.” A student dashed past us, nabbed his bike from the bike bay and rode through the gate.

  “Every decision we make can alter the course of our future. It’s always in flux, but to fix what’s coming, I need you. Please.” She squeezed my arm. “Let’s work together.”

  I couldn’t let Faith down, not with this massive problem on the horizon. Even with Dralion involved, I had to do what I could. “Hope has to be brought into the loop. I can’t leave her out of this since your forewarning involves both of you.”

  “I don’t want to leave her out of it either. I’ll take you to her in the outback, but you’ll have to keep a low profile. Warriors ’port in and out of Wincrest Station.” The station was one of Dralion’s off-world ventures. Faith had been raised here in New Zealand with her mother, and Hope in both Dralion and their Australian holding.

  “That’s all right. I’ll simply be your friend from Earth.”

  “That’ll work. Let me check exactly where she is.” Her eyes glazed as she focused with her forethought. It was such a rare skill, one only held by the two ruling families of Magio. It was also the skill which had begun our world’s war a thousand years ago, and still wreaked havoc today. “Found her. She’s in the yard near the corral.”

  “So, we’re good to go?”

  “Yes, I’ll ’port us from behind one of the furthest trees.” Her gaze cleared, and the deep Wincrest violet denoting her strong line shone through.

  “Sounds good.” The coach blew his whistle and the football team jogged to the bright blue changing rooms off the gym. Most of the students had gone home, and only a few stragglers remained near the bus bay. “On a brighter note, I’ve always wanted to visit the outback.”

  “I doubt you wanted to visit it like this.”

  “Try never, but I can deal.”

  “That’s why I love you, Silvie.”

  “Oh, so now you’re trying to butter me up?”

  “Yep.” She tugged me to the tree she favored with its wide trunk. “Because the place is in drought, and it’s hot enough to melt the soles of your shoes if you stand in one place for too long.”

  “Don’t worry. I love a hot day.” I squeezed her hand. “I’ll be careful.”

  “You’re the best friend I could ever have.” She hugged me, and then everything darkened as she ’ported us, as she made the jump through time and space.

  We arrived in the blinding sunshine. Oh yeah. Heat. Beautiful.

  “Wow, it’s hotter than hot.” She fanned her face. “Do you see Hope? She was right here.”

  “Not yet.” I peered between the wooden beamed rails of the horse corral. A stallion pranced within, kicking up red dust as he snorted. “She’s not in there, and that horse looks ready to bolt.”

  “Maybe she went to get him something. If she did, she’ll be that way.” She tilted her head toward a long run of white weatherboard stables.

  Following her, I jammed one loose tail of my red t-shirt into my denim cutoffs. At least my Earth clothing should pass initial inspection. Warriors usually wore battle leathers, the same as my country’s elite protectors. “Donaldo Wincrest never comes here, right?”

  “You’re safe. It’s just Goldie and Hope who run this place. They were raised together and spent half their lives here.”

  We stepped through the open doors and into a wide central holding room. On one wall, hooks held saddles and tack. I stroked one of the long reins, polished to perfection. On the opposite wall, square bales of hay had been stacked to the ceiling, a dozen high and a good twenty bales wide. Hmm, nothing here so far to worry— Nope. At the back of the stables, perched on a wooden stool before a workbench, a man gripped a silver stirrup which glowed red on one end. He was heating the object, and without fire.

  A warrior. He must be one of Dralion’s highly skilled.

  Someone from Peacio would be dubious, but I had to act the part of an Earthling. I couldn’t show any fear. I stepped closer.

  Black hair fell forward over his brow, his hair so silky it shone midnight blue on the ends.

  He jerked around, his gaze landing on me.

  I kept my composure. “Hey.”

  “Who are you?” He stood, his impressive height a good hand over six feet. He would tower over me by a foot. I should be intimidated, but oh, what broad shoulders. His white shirt stretched tight over his chest, and dark leather pants cupped his butt to perfection. His sword, belted low on his right hip, brushed the dusty floorboards.

  What? Why was I ogling the enemy? Get it together.

  “Ah, I’m Silvie, a friend of Faith’s.”

  His eyes were to die for. Stunning silver, displaying his strongly skilled line, swirled around the edges of his pale blue eyes. An enchanter.

  “No! This can’t be happening.” He gripped the hilt of his sword, and his nostrils flared. “You should never have come.” What was he talking about?

  “Guy, it’s fine. I brought Silvie, and it was important she come.” Faith held up a hand. “I’m after Hope. Did she come in here?”

  “Yes. She’s down the corridor. One of the mares is in labor and she ran to check on her. Go, but be quiet.” He set the stirrup on his workbench, and the melted end oozed into a metallic puddle.

  “How’d you melt that?” What he’d done was enthralling.

  “It’s the spell of heat without fire. What’s your last name, Silvie?” His gaze traveled over me, not missing an inch. Strangely, I enjoyed it. Hold on. What was wrong with me? He was still a warrior.

  “Carver,” Faith interrupted. “Guy, she’s in the know, like you are.” The girls had a tight inner circle of those they trusted. And since Guy kept Faith and Hope’s secret as I did, he had to be one of the few good ones. I must have sensed that. Somehow.

  “Right.” He snorted then turned back to his workbench. “Take her away, Faith.”

  “Come on.” Faith tugged my hand.

  “No, I’d like to stay and get to know one of the warriors you trust so much. Go and find Hope. I’ll wait.” He completely intrigued me.

  “You sure? He doesn’t sound like he wants you here.”

  “If he’s in the know, then I’m safe. Just go.” I studied the warrior as he whispered a spell over the stirrup he’d set down.

  “Okay, I’ll be as quick as I can.” Faith dashed away.

  “You should have gone with her.” He cast me a sideways glance. “Carver, eh? Any relation to Hope’s mate, the protector Silas?”

  “Maybe.” I advanced on him.

  “You have the same blue eyes as Carver. Doesn’t he have a twin sister? One I’ve heard is close to Faith?” He slowly circled me. “Yeah, you’re her.”

  “What’s your last name?”

  His gaze flickered with frustration as he came nose to nose. “Moyer.”

  My heartbeat thumped at his closeness. “The son of Gerritt, and the grandson of Gilles?”

  “You’ve heard of my line?”

  “Everyone has. Forty years ago, Gilles Moyer spelled the dome’s energy field into existence over Dralion.” Which meant this man was from one of Dralion’s strongest enchanting lines. Although, not the wisest since his father had been captured at the battle of Eventide two years ago and now resided within Peacio’s containment cells. A heavy weight settled in my chest and I couldn’t stop myself from touching his hand. “I’m sorry for your loss, your father.” Boy, why did I feel such a sudden connection with him?

  “He still lives, and soon he’ll be freed. I’ll see to it.” He clamped his hand over mine. The silver in his eyes swirled to life, as if he were about to spell.

  “Don’t even try it. I may be unskilled, but I’m tough.”

  “There’s a spell which turns back time.” He tighten
ed his grip on me. “We should never have met. Don’t you feel it?”

  Inside me an urge to be even nearer burned, and I was quite close enough.

  “The bond.” He threaded our fingers together. “You’re my mated one, and damn it. This shouldn’t be happening.”

  Oh my goodness. The truth blazed in his eyes. That’s what this was. I’d never in my life felt an attraction to any man. Sure, I’d had plenty of male friends, but none had ever stirred me the way Guy had from the moment I’d seen him. We were mated, the soul-bond pulsing to life between us.

  Crap.

  I was mated to a warrior. Only half our people were soul-bound. “What do we do?”

  He fisted his hands at his sides. “At times I’ve felt the male’s drive within the bond toward Earth, and at other times Magio. I expected my mated one was a Peacian since it’s only your people who have the freedom to travel. It’s why I stayed away.”

  “So you decided to let our bond pass?”

  “There’s a war, and we’d never suit. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

  “I would have wanted to know, so at least”—I fluttered my fingers between us—“I could move on.”

  “You’re a friend of the girls. It isn’t going to be easy to move on.”

  “Our meeting doesn’t have to change anything. I go to school in New Zealand and that’s a long way from here. Same with Peacio.”

  “Then I doubt our paths will cross.” He rubbed his thumb along his chin. The cleft in the center added to his intense look. “Why would you go to an Earth school if you’re a Peacian?”

  “I was charged with keeping an eye on Faith a very long time ago. I’m also attending culinary school there next year.”

  “You favor the art of cooking?” He frowned. “My mother did too, before she passed. She made everything, from the bread each morning to the Sunday roast dripping in gravy. I was only small, but I’d pull up a stool to stand on and help her peel the vegetables.” He slowly reached out and caught a length of my hair. Gently, he wrapped one of the long spiral curls around his finger.

  “I’m so sorry about your mother, Guy.” I scraped one foot forward, touching my toe to his, needing some form of connection too.

  “She had the biggest heart, the gentlest smile, and hair as black as midnight, so long it touched her waist, right about”—he smoothed down my sides and cupped my hips—“here.”

  Heat raced through my veins and I shuffled my other foot forward. Closer was better, and no doubt due to the bond at play. “You miss her?”

  “Always.” He slid his thumbs into the small gap between the waistband of my cutoffs and t-shirt. “She was life itself, which is why I appreciate the here and now. You never know when someone will be gone.”

  My chest tightened, his loss cutting into me far more than it should. “She sounds wonderful.”

  “She was.” He pulled back a little and fingered his necklace. From the center of the thin strap of leather, a small gold ring dangled. “It’s been so long. I almost forgot. My mother bequeathed her ring to my mated one. She gave it to me to hold onto until the time we met.”

  “What? No. We might be mated, but we’re not doing anything about it, right?”

  “Right.” He lifted the necklace free of his head. “But I still made a promise.”

  “No, really.” I shoved against his chest. “Stop. Put that back on. Promises like that can be broken.”

  “Not this one. My mother wanted the woman I was mated with to know her in some way. This ring was her gift to you. I’m only the keeper, passing it along.”

  I backed up until my shoulders knocked the hay bales. “I said stop.”

  “Her wishes were precise.” He crowded me from the front, making it impossible to get away, and then slipped the necklace over my head. “This was what my mother wanted. It feels good to see to her last request. Don’t deny me that.”

  Nothing could have shocked me more. Off balance, I rocked onto my heels, gripping the band of gold, his mother’s precious gift from the past. “This is crazy.”

  “I’ll know you have it. That’s all that matters.” Guy’s brow pulled down as he clasped my hand. “We really should end things now, before our soul-bond deepens further.”

  “You mean release each other?”

  “Exactly. I’m the last enchanter in my line, and even though I’m only nineteen, Donaldo has already requested I find a warrior woman and continue it. I have to ensure the ability to enchant doesn’t die away with me.”

  Damn, this was all happening so fast. “Shouldn’t we take some time before we decide on such a step?”

  “My destiny is not with you, Silvie. It’s elsewhere.”

  “For eighteen years I’ve dreamed of being mated.”

  “We can’t move on until we release each other.”

  The heaviness in my chest expanded. Geez, what a predicament. This was the right thing to do, even though it felt totally wrong.

  “Don’t think too much about it.” He caught my face between his hands. “Just start. Speak the words I need to hear.”

  “You’re this certain?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry.” His voice scraped on the last word, as if he fought his emotions.

  I could do this. I was strong, and surely didn’t need a warrior for a mate. I’d already seen how hard it was for Faith and Hope, and now, the future difficulties they faced. That wasn’t for me.

  “Give me a second.” I wet my suddenly dry lips then forced them open. “Guy, I wish for you to find the right woman, to have a long and wonderful life with her.” Uh-huh, a good start. “That you’ll have the family you desire, and of course, that she be anyone other than me.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed my cheek. “Silvie, I wish to release you, so you might find the right man. I wish for him to keep you safe and to cherish you, to give you all you desire, and…be anyone other than me.”

  Tears welled in my eyes and I shoved them back. I would not cry over him.

  “Do you want a breather?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll go wait outside until Faith returns. We did the right thing.”

  “I know.” I slipped his mother’s ring under the neckline of my t-shirt as he strode away. I’d keep it safe, just as I would the other half of his soul, even though he was no longer mine.

  A tear leaked past my guard and I swiped it away. Stupid bond, and I couldn’t stop myself from following him. I gripped the splintered edge of the doorway to halt my step. “Don’t go too far. This is Wincrest Station.”

  “There’re no other warriors about. You’re safe.” He climbed the railing, and then cautiously approached the prancing stallion within. Gently, he cooed its name.

  “Hey, Silvie.” Hope strolled in from the corridor in jeans and a red-checked outback shirt, Faith one step behind her. She wiped her hands on a raggedy towel hanging from her pocket.

  “Hey back at ya. How’s the mare?”

  “One very contented new mama. The foal is a little wobbly, but already up on her legs.”

  Faith grinned at me. “It was incredible to watch the birth. A-maz-ing.” She glanced about the room and frowned. “Ah, where’s Guy?”

  “Outside.” The sun bathed him in its brightness, and I couldn’t keep my gaze from him.

  She strode to the doorway and called out, “Hey, everything okay?”

  “It will be.” His scorching gaze narrowed on me as he fed the stallion a treat.

  Faith jerked a look between the two of us. “Is there something going on here? I didn’t leave you guys alone for long enough to cause too big a fight, did I?”

  “We didn’t fight, in fact we chatted, and then—” Oh, how to tell her? I shuffled from foot to foot, rucking up the dust.

  “Then what?”

  “Um, we released each other.”

  “Released each other?” Her eyebrows launched into her hairline. Yeah, for once I’d surprised her. Which with her forethought, was close to impossible. “No way. You two are
mated?”

  Hope darted a look at Guy. “This is unbelievable. You always sensed your mated one was a Peacian, but Silvie?”

  “That’s right.” He scaled the railing and returned. “Now we’ve met though, we’ve ended things. It’s as it should be.”

  “No, Guy.” Faith shook her head, clearly not happy. “There’s a reason our souls are bound. Perhaps you two just need some more time to talk.” She glanced at Hope. “What do you think?”

  “It can’t hurt them.”

  “Great. Let’s give them some space.” She grabbed Hope’s hand and flashed them away.

  “What? Faith, no. You can’t leave me here like that.” Drat. How could she bail on me? Sure, she would hate I hadn’t given this soul-bond a chance, particularly when she worked so hard on hers and Davio’s relationship.

  “They’ve gone, and don’t worry about it. I’ll take you home. Just tell me where that is.”

  “I should have guessed she’d do that. I’m so sorry.”

  “They care, although that doesn’t change our decision.” He seized my arm. “Where to?”

  “Loveria Castle. That’s where I live when I’m not on Earth. Except, make it the outer fields where there won’t be any protectors.” He couldn’t be seen by the guards.

  “Gotcha. I know exactly where.”

  The dark encompassed us, and then we were there.

  He squinted at Loveria Castle looming high on the hill in the distance. “Is this far enough away?”

  “It should be. How’d you know about this spot?” The protectors stationed in the twin-towered gatehouse lookout towers could see for miles, but a copse of pines shielded us. “How’d you have an image to ’port us here?”

  “Know the land of your enemy and all.” Hands in his pockets, he watched wispy clouds float over the castle’s massive gray stone walls. “I’ve been here a few times, Silvie.”

  “Enemy? I’m not personally yours. I never will be because of the bond.”

  “Broken bond.” He touched his chest. “And I know.”