“What happened?” his aunt asked as they went to Jackie.
“She passed out.” Darach shifted around to the other side of the bed. “She willnae even respond within the mind.”
“So she is beyond simply passed out,” Lair murmured as she pressed her palms against Jackie’s temples and started chanting.
Meanwhile, Aunt McKayla put a hand against Jackie’s sternum and closed her eyes. She was connecting to Lair’s magic so they could search out the problem together.
“It’s grown,” Lair whispered between chants. “Influenced by dark magic.”
“What’s grown?” But he knew. He frowned and squeezed Jackie’s hand, his chest tight. “The tumor?”
“Aye,” his aunt murmured. “Recently. When she took the brunt of the demi-god’s wrath.”
“Och, nay,” he whispered and pressed his lips against her palm. “When she took my pain.”
Lair nodded but kept chanting before she stopped abruptly and pulled her hands back. Her eyes met McKayla’s and understanding passed between them.
“What is it?” he asked, more concerned by the moment.
“’Tis something odd about her tumor.” Lair frowned. “Has she tried to have it removed?”
“I dinnae think so.” He shook his head. “She said ‘twas inoperable.”
“Aye, mayhap inoperable,” Lair said, her eyes still on Jackie’s face.
“I dinnae ken, Sister.” Darach tried to keep aggravation at bay. He wanted answers. “What are ye trying to say?”
“There is something unnatural about her tumor. Something I sense dark magic can control.” Her eyes narrowed on Jackie’s ring. “Look, Brother.”
“Bloody hell, nay,” he whispered.
The stone at its center wasn’t blue in the least but black.
He was about to say more when Erin and Nicole rushed into the chamber. Though they were clearly worried about Jackie, that wasn’t the sole reason they were there.
“We’ve got problems.” Nicole gestured out the window. “There are some super spooky sounds coming from beyond the castle. Horrible wailing. Good thing I seem to be the only one who can hear them because they’d likely throw this whole place into a panic.”
“There’s more.” Erin stood at the end of the bed and frowned at Jackie. “I just had another one of my ghostly out-of-body experiences.” Her eyes went to Darach. “And you’re seriously not gonna like it.”
“I dinnae like a damn thing happening right now, but I’ve no choice but to face it.” His frown deepened. “So tell me.”
“Whatever is going on with her illness is only going to get worse if she stays here. Or so I assume based on what you’re about to do.” Erin clenched her jaw and shook her head as she eyed Jackie’s ring. “You must put her on Eara and send her out beyond the gates. When you do, life will return to everything around the castle as death fades away. ”
“I would never do such a thing.” He shook his head, confused. “Besides, Eara isnae even here.”
“Actually,” Erin said softly. “She appeared a few minutes ago beyond the gates.”
“Nay.”
“Aye, lad,” Eara said into his mind. “I am here, and ye must bring Jackie to me if ye want to save her. ‘Twill also spread hope to yer clan to see this land alive again.”
Baffled, defiant, he shook his head. “Where would ye take her? And why would the land heal?”
“Jackie can only go to the Otherworld now, lad,” Eara said softly. “She cannae survive here.”
It felt like everything dropped out from beneath him. “But she’s still alive.” His eyes went to the very slight rise and fall of her chest. “She breathes.”
“Mayhap.” Aunt McKayla’s pained eyes met his. “But not for long.”
“Hell.” Nicole sank down beside Darach. “I thought…I mean…things don’t usually work this way with tumors, do they?”
“There isnae anything normal about her tumor. I’ve dealt with several and this isnae one. ‘Tis different.” Lair’s eyes went to Darach. “I think ‘twas somehow created by the demi-god.” Her frown deepened, and her voice went whisper soft. “And I think only he can heal it.”
“How can that be?” Darach kept shaking his head. “Da or Adlin would have figured it out. They would have told me.”
“Nay, Brother, they might have been powerful, but neither were healers,” she said. “So they wouldnae have known.”
“But Goddess Brigit would have,” he said. “And she would have told me.”
“You mean the goddess who likes to play games?” Erin reminded.
“She wouldnae about something so grave,” he assured. Would she? He shook his head. “’Twould make no sense.”
“Damn.” Nicole flinched in pain and yanked out her hearing aid. “The wails are getting louder.”
“Rumor has spread that there’s a bonnie horse beyond the gates,” Sheila said from the doorway. “You need to go down now, Son.” Her sad eyes went from Jackie to him. “You need to take care of your wife and your clan.”
He knew what she asked of him. Darach bit back emotion. “Nay, I willnae let her go.”
“You will do what you must.” Sheila joined them and put a hand on his shoulder. “Not only do the Hamilton’s have family beyond these gates, but the Thomson’s and Broun’s do too. If you’ve a way to lift the curse on this land, you will.” Moisture flashed in her eyes before she grew sterner. “And if you’ve a chance to save your love, then you must do it.”
“Save her?” he guffawed. “Handing her over to evil isnae saving her.”
“Neither is keeping her here,” she said. “At least, if you send her to where she can survive, there’s always a chance you’ll be able to find her later. If not, she dies in this bed.” Her eyes went to Jackie. “And she deserves more than that. She deserves the chance to fight.”
Fight? An odd turn of phrase considering what he and Jackie had recently discussed. Had they been talking about her illness right now he would have agreed. She should fight. She should try to survive.
Then it occurred to him.
His eyes shot to his mother’s when he realized what she meant.
Jackie should try to fight her illness.
Maybe not in the typical sense because the rules had changed. It seemed the fight would not come from this reality but another. An afterlife of sorts. Because the Celtic Otherworld they all knew thus far was Eoghan’s creation. A dead place co-created by Balor. Not Heaven but very much a version of hell.
“But how can she possibly fight such darkness on her own?” he said. “Not even Da could win against the demi-god. How is Jackie supposed to stand up against not only Eoghan but Balor?”
“I don’t know,” his mother said softly. “But I think she deserves the chance.”
“Eara will be with her, and I’ll bet just about anything that she’s merged with someone powerful,” Erin said as her eyes met his. Emotion thickened her voice. “If there’s one thing I know…we both know about Jackie, it’s that she wouldn’t want to die here with the Otherworld threatening everyone. Not when she has a chance to set everyone free.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Especially little Robert and William.”
He knew how hard that was for her to say.
But she was absolutely right.
Darach stared at Jackie. How could he make such a difficult decision? Yet he knew there was only one choice. The one Jackie would make if she were awake.
“I need a moment alone with my lass,” he murmured. “Then we’ll be down.”
“Aye, Brother, of course,” Lair said softly, and they all left.
Darach pulled Jackie onto his lap and cradled her head. “I dinnae know if you can hear me, lass, but…” He paused. But what? I’m sending you to hell to fend for yourself. No. It was more than that. “I know you said you were done fighting. That you had accepted your fate.” He stroked her cheek. “But I havenae. None of us have. And so you’re going to have to fight after all. You’re going to
have to be verra brave and battle your darkness. Just a different type of darkness than you expected.”
He paused again and fought emotion as he brushed his finger over her birthmark. “I believe you have this for a reason. Not only because you were once Gwendolyn but because you’re so much more. We are so much more. Were you not able to open the door below stairs by touching the mark? And did those stairs not lead you to this room?” He struggled with his words. “’Twas the verra first place I saw you in my dreams. Right here in this room was where it began.”
“It means something.” He brushed her hair back from her cheek. “And I think whatever has brought you here will be there to fight alongside you.” His brogue thickened. “But nothing can help ye if ye willnae fight to begin with, aye, lass? And me keeping ye here in this room will only ensure that ye end where ye began and I willnae have it.”
“So ‘tis time to fight, lass.” He kissed her birthmark, laid her down and strapped on what few weapons he had. Two daggers and his sword. The sword. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “But know this,” he kissed her lips then lifted her, “I’ll not let ye fight alone if I can help it.”
By the time he made it down to the courtyard, the battlements were full, and a small crowd had formed around the gate. His family and Jackie’s friends were waiting.
“The people only know that yer letting the horse in,” his Uncle Malcolm said into his mind. “Not that ye’ll be sending Jackie with her.”
The gates were opened as he strode forward. Murmurs of curiosity rippled through the crowd as they wondered why he carried his wife. Better yet, why she appeared to be sleeping. As soon as he passed through the gates, he murmured a chant, and the gates slammed shut.
“I’ll not have anyone put their lives at risk out here,” he said into his family’s minds.
Eara lowered her head at his approach, her voice sad. “Put her on me, lad. She willnae fall.”
Darach nodded and raked his eyes over Jackie one last time before he swung her up onto the horse and made sure she was draped evenly over Eara’s neck.
“I love ye, lass,” he whispered before Eara turned and started across the first drawbridge. Darach flicked his wrists and the portcullises rose. Just like Erin said, life began to return in the horse’s wake. The moat filled with water and greenery started to bloom on the vines crawling up the battlements.
Life returned in the wake of a lass sent to face the darkness alone.
Just like she had all along with her tumor.
He understood that this had to happen to save his people but the further the horse trotted the more his chest tightened. His clan was not alone. She was. His clan had the magic of wizards, warriors and dragons protecting them. She did not. Yes, he knew that something would be there to help her, he felt it, but that just wasn’t good enough.
His lass would not face this alone.
To hell with that.
He raced after her.
Chapter Eighteen
JACKIE COULD HEAR Darach. She could hear them all.
But nobody could hear her.
He was letting her go again. Just like he had in the beginning. And like before, it was to keep her alive. Yet this time was different. This time, she was in complete agreement with his decision. She would have made the same choice if she were awake. Anything to save everyone, especially the boys.
Even so, that didn’t make any of this less frightening.
When she jolted awake at last, Eara had just reached the end of the drawbridge.
“Hold on tight, lass,” Eara whispered. “This willnae be an easy journey.”
“Nay, it willnae,” came Darach’s gruff voice as he swung up behind her. “But at least you willnae be alone.”
“What are you doing?” she cried over her shoulder. “You’re riding straight into death!”
“Aye.” He wrapped a strong arm around her. “You knew I’d follow you into the afterlife, lass.”
Jackie held on tight when Eara bolted. Is this what Grant meant when he said the man who loved her would die? Because for all intents and purposes, that’s exactly what both of them were doing right now. When she glanced over her shoulder, it was just like Erin had said. Far and wide, the land came to life behind them.
Then it all ripped away as darkness swirled around them. Oppressive, dank, their surroundings became something she had long feared. The end. Those final moments when death took her, and she slipped into eternity alone.
Yet she wasn’t alone.
She might not be able to see a thing, but she felt Darach at her back. She felt the warmth and security of his arm wrapped around her in the cool, dark void they’d entered. Slowly but surely, shapes started to materialize. Not the Celtic Otherworld but a dark forest. Then something else. Tall standing stones that formed a circle.
“’Tis Brigit,” Darach whispered. “We’re in ancient Ireland.”
Face averted, a glowing woman knelt a few feet away. She dropped something into a small hole. Within seconds, a small sprout shot up, sparkling as its root thickened and twisted and its branches reached out.
“The great oak Chiomara coupled with King Erc beneath,” he murmured into her mind. “Where Adlin was conceived.”
The woman stood and vanished but not before an acorn fell from the tree and landed in her palm. Then the landscape shifted. Jackie narrowed her eyes. It couldn’t be. “Eara, are we at the American Stonehenge in New Hampshire?”
The horse gave no response but slowed to a trot as they passed through what was definitely Stonehenge. But everything was different. Then she realized. There were no landmarks. No platforms where you could read about each stone and its alignment with the horizon.
“I think I saw someone up ahead,” Darach whispered.
Jackie peered through the darkness. He was right. Someone walked through the woods. Slightly aglow, it appeared to be Brigit again. Soon, another woman joined her. Slight of build with long, dark hair, she thought it was Erin at first. But no. Her hair wasn’t as curly.
“This will help connect your kin with the MacLomains.” Brigit dropped the acorn into the woman’s hand. “Place it where ye will, Iosbail.”
Iosbail? As in Iosbail Broun…or MacLomain depending on who you asked. She was Adlin’s sister, once an immortal wizard just like him.
The goddess vanished, and they followed Iosbail through the forest. Caught in these strange in-between worlds, it was clear they were silent, unknown witnesses to history.
Eventually, Iosbail stopped and crouched. Jackie looked around. Though there were only trees around them, the area felt familiar. “Darach? I think we might be…” she started but stopped when Iosbail dropped the acorn in a small hole. Just like before, a small sprout shot up, sparkling as its trunk thickened and its branches grew.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, eyes moist. It was the old oak that would someday sit in front of the Colonial. And based on the location of the tree, Eara had stopped right where Darach stood the first time Jackie laid eyes on him.
Iosbail came to her feet as the Oak bloomed overhead. She put out her hand and one of its acorns dropped into her palm. When a little old woman hobbled out of the forest, Iosbail handed her the acorn. Animals drifted around the woman. A squirrel sat on her shoulder.
“Fionn Mac Cumhail,” Darach murmured.
Fionn? But she thought he was a golden Celtic warrior.
“Sometimes seen as an old woman as well,” Darach said. “But his animals are always ghostly not solid like they are now.”
Jackie swallowed. “What does that mean?”
“That we arenae in the world of the living, lass.”
She sort of figured as much but had hoped not.
Eara started walking, and their surroundings shifted yet again. This time, they rode beside a mountain face. The little old woman lumbered along until she began to glow. Seconds later, a tall, strapping blond warrior appeared in her place.
“Oh, wow,” Jackie whispered as Fionn crou
ched next to the mountain and dropped the acorn in a hole.
“Bloody hell,” Darach murmured. “I always thought…”
“Thought what?” she prompted when his words died off. “Where are we?”
“I always thought this tree was born directly of the oak in Ireland,” he continued in awe as a sprout shot up and thickened into a trunk that grew up the side of the mountain face, sparkling, until its branches wrapped into a cave far overhead.
“Where are we?” she asked again.
“One of the Defiances,” he murmured. “’Tis a mountain of many things.”
Jackie’s eyes rounded as she peered upward. “Are we at the Magical Mountain of Fertility?”
“I forgot Nicole had named it.” He chuckled. “Aye, ‘tis precisely where we are.”
Eara started walking again. This time, woodland didn’t appear in front of them but rock and open sky. It looked like they were near the top of a mountain.
“Where are we now?” she whispered.
“The same mountain.”
His arm tightened around her as a dragon appeared through the darkness. A man with blond hair stood in front of it with Iosbail nearby.
“Och, ‘tis Uncle Colin but much younger,” Darach said.
He had two Uncle Colin’s. “Based on his build, I’m going to guess Rònan’s dad?”
“Aye,” he said as colors swirled around the dragon until a young woman lay curled up on the ground.
“Aunt Torra,” he whispered as her hand opened and an acorn rolled out of it. Moments later, it took root and sprouted. This time, it blossomed into a small oak. “’Tis the baby oak when born over thirty winters ago.”
“You mean the huge oak outside of MacLomain Castle?”
“Aye.”
Though everyone vanished, she and Darach remained where they were. She narrowed her eyes. “Do you see that?”
“What?”
“Let me down.” She tugged at his arm. “Please.”
“Why?”
“I think I see an acorn.” She tugged at his arm again. “And nobody’s here to catch it.” She shot him a look over her shoulder. “Don’t you find that suspicious?”
Passion of a Scottish Warrior (The MacLomain Series: Later Years Book 4) Page 25
