Was that even possible, all things considered? Especially if he had joined ranks with the Brotherhood in another life? He could only pray. While he wasn’t sure how much he could trust Destiny, he did trust Leviathan. Not only that, but he saw no other recourse. So he did as asked and headed for the sacrificial table, yet again wondering how he hadn't recognized it from their dreams. Then again, he’d always paid more attention to Chara than the rock beside her. In fact, his sole intent had been to get her away from it.
“’Tis no easy thing to break a rock with a sword,” he mumbled.
“That is no average sword,” Leviathan reminded. “Nor is this a fairytale and you King Arthur.”
“You’ve heard of King Arthur?” Destiny perked her brows at the Viking. “Seriously?”
“Is that so hard for you to believe?” He pointed out how knowledgeable those from the distant past could actually be. “You, who has likely been around for ages. Who is guardian to a reincarnated unicorn in the twenty-first century and can switch your dialect effortlessly to sound like you’re from here?”
“Technically, this is a fairytale,” Chara began, but Destiny wasn’t finished with Leviathan.
“And why are you here again?” The goddess cocked her head at the Ancient. “You claim it’s to protect Chara from Marek when the possession takes him, but there’s more to it, isn’t there?” She narrowed her eyes. “Something to do with me?”
“You did draw me from across time,” Leviathan conceded. “I’m still trying to figure out why considering you are a Celt and not of my own gods or people.” His eyes narrowed as though he suddenly sensed something. “Or are you?”
“I’m not,” she snapped before refocusing on Marek. “You must break pieces off of the stone soon so we can go.”
He nodded, suddenly feeling the same urgency. Darkness was closing in. Following them. What he couldn’t tell, however, was if it was the Brotherhood or the evil that had started possessing him. That if moments from now, he might black out and do things he didn’t remember.
Not about to wait and find out when Chara’s life was at stake, he drove the sword into a corner of the rock, relieved when lightning sparked and not one, but two small bits broke off.
“Perfect.” Destiny scooped them up and handed one each to Marek and Chara. “These should protect you as...”
She trailed off as everything began transforming around them.
Winter faded. Seasons came and went in the blink of an eye. Leaves budded. Spring flowers blossomed. Warmth blew over them. Summer winds gusted through the woodland. Then, just as swiftly, leaves turned vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow as autumn flew by.
Although everything seemed non-threatening, Marek shifted closer to Chara, determined to protect her if need be. Just like back at the colonial, ghostly images came and went. Some laughed, some cried, and some fought. Modern-day women and highland men who had spent time together at this Stonehenge over the years. MacLomains, Hamiltons, MacLeods, and Brouns.
“’Tis all of them, aye?” Marek murmured, not speaking to anyone in particular. “Not just my ma and da and grandparents but all the couples that came together after the people we just saw at the colonial. All the connections across time that brought us to this verra moment.”
“Yes,” Destiny confirmed. “We’re witnessing everything that took place here. The very fabric of what brought your clans to where you are today. That one way or another, ultimately led to keeping Scotland safe.”
“Wow,” Chara whispered, wide-eyed as seasons kept coming and going along with generations of couples. Eventually, everything slowed back to winter, and Ethyn appeared out of thin air. Upset, desperate to find his ‘wolf’ Phelan, he strode toward the colonial, not seeing them any more than those before him did. “That just happened days ago.” She looked at Marek. “So it must almost be time...”
She trailed off when everything suddenly swirled so quickly the eye barely caught it before they ended up someplace else entirely.
“We’re there, aren’t we?” Chara said in awe, staring at the castle that had appeared in front of them. Surrounded on three sides by a sparkling blue loch, a wide, flower-speckled field sprawled out between them and it. “We’ve arrived at MacLomain Castle.”
“Aye, but ‘tis a wee bit different,” Marek replied as they headed that way. It was missing the extra curtain wall that protected more cottages. “What year is this?”
“Around the time those in the colonial era first traveled back,” Destiny said. “Eleven hundred ninety-nine. So around a hundred and forty-seven years before the time you currently live in, Marek.”
“Five generations ago,” he marveled.
“Can she actually see us?” Chara referred to an old woman who narrowed her eyes at them in passing when they eventually made their way over the drawbridge. “Because it looks like it.”
“Not see but sense,” Destiny said, as the old woman seemingly glanced back at them before continuing on. “That was Adlin’s sister, Iosbail MacLomain, or Iosbail Broun, depending on who you ask. She’s a powerful witch in her own right, so she undoubtedly sensed us here. Because we’re technically residing on another plane, or in a different dimension, we’re beyond the full scope of her magic.”
“And what about him?” Chara gestured at the old man with white hair standing in the courtyard watching them. His hands rested casually over the top of his gnarly cane as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Yet it was obvious enough to those with magic that he cared a great deal.
More pointedly, that he might just see them a whole lot more clearly than his sister.
“’Tis Adlin,” Marek murmured, sure of it.
He might be used to seeing Adlin in his current life, but he knew this Adlin too. How could he not? It seemed inconceivable that he’d be unrecognizable to his descendants.
“Can he see us?” Chara whispered, clearly daunted by the way Adlin appeared to look right at them.
“No.” Leviathan shook his head as they walked past endless clansfolk who were completely oblivious to their presence. “Like his sister, he senses us, only more strongly. He knows we’re here and belong, but at the same time, don’t really belong at all.”
“Right.” Destiny considered Adlin as they drew closer. For all appearances, his gaze never left them. “Because we’re in a parallel dimension, we’re not a threat. More of a novelty, he can’t quite pinpoint.”
“Why are we here then if not to see Adlin?” Marek asked. “Or should I say for him to see us?”
“Because we essentially have to travel past all those that came before you to get back to where your story began,” Destiny replied. “Even though technically in this life, you came after them.”
Marek shook his head. “That sounds like something Adlin would say.”
It was too, but he understood what she meant. They needed to pass everything that came after him and Chara in their first life together to hopefully save them and everyone else in this one.
Adlin vanished after they passed him. Seasons began changing again as they made their way up the stairs. Time flew by in an instant. Familiar faces came and went, including the colonial woman named Arianna they had just seen in New Hampshire.
Interestingly, by the time they entered the great hall, Marek sensed the clock had reversed and was rolling backward. Further back than when the Brouns first arrived here. Sure enough, moments later, Adlin walked past them, only younger this time. Built like his descendants, he was tall and broad-shouldered with dark hair and light blue eyes.
“The Viking King’s tapestry is back,” Marek said, impressed by the mammoth tapestry he had heard about. The original one with the helmeted Viking, who was his direct MacLomain dragon ancestor. “Naðr Véurr.”
“Ja,” Leviathan said in Norse, which meant ‘yes.’ He glanced at it with admiration. “He was a great man. A truly great king.”
Though mere moments passed, less and less people wandered the castle as they traveled furt
her back in time. As they witnessed the clan that Adlin began during its various stages of growth.
Then, in a burst of light, they once again stood someplace else entirely.
“Where are we?” Chara asked, wide-eyed, peering at the thick woodland around them. By the looks of it, early autumn had just arrived.
“Where we will be safest for now.” Destiny urged them to follow until she stopped and smiled. “Where we can help most right now.”
Marek narrowed his eyes at the man they had come upon.
More so, what he sat in front of.
“Och, nay!” Marek looked at the demi-goddess and Ancient, suddenly understanding why they were here. “Surely not?”
“Yes,” Chara whispered, seeing it all clearly. “It seems we’ve come full circle.”
“So it appears,” Marek murmured, having heard many a tale about this place.
Or, better yet, what would soon be here.
Chapter Six
“HI, THERE,” CHARA said as they approached the younger version of Adlin they had just seen at the castle. He stared at the woodland in front of him forlornly, as if he carried a great weight on his shoulders. “Are you okay?”
Unlike the other versions of Adlin, she had a feeling this one could see and hear them.
Sure enough, it turned out she was right.
Adlin perked his brows at Chara, clearly both surprised and relieved to see her. “I know ye, aye?” He stood and looked at the others. “Mayhap, all of ye?”
They had arrived in an era before he would have said ‘you’ instead of ‘ye’ for time travelers.
“You don’t know us yet.” Destiny offered him a kind smile. “But likely will someday.”
“I see.” Taking that bit of information in stride, Adlin looked from Destiny and Leviathan back to Chara before he homed in on Marek. A small smile ghosted his face. “Ye’re of my blood, are ye not?” Admiration lit his eyes. “A braw laddie with a wee bit more to ye than meets the eye.” His knowing gaze narrowed a little. “Ye’ve a bit o’ fierce beastie inside ye if I didnae know better.”
“He is your descendant and half dragon,” Leviathan confirmed. He introduced everyone else before giving the wizard a very succinct version of what was to come with the Brouns.
She wasn’t surprised by the Viking's bluntness. Adlin was going to figure things out eventually. Was already figuring them out.
“By the bloody rood,” Adlin exclaimed, awed at the life he must have ahead. One thing above all captured his attention, though. “Brouns and MacLomains, aye?” He peered at Chara, seeming to like the idea a great deal. “True love connections across time?”
“Yes.” Destiny glanced in the direction Adlin had been mulling over when they arrived. “But none of it will happen if we don’t find shelter for a time. If we don’t give Chara and Marek a chance to relive their memories. To finally spend time together beyond dreams without evil harming them.”
Adlin’s eyes lit with surprise again when he looked from the woodland back to Destiny. “Ye know what I hope to build then? What I hope to put here to bring people of varying faiths together?”
“Aye.” Impressed that he’d likely be witnessing its conception, Marek glanced from the area to Adlin. “What you build here will be verra special for generations to come. A start to the peace you hope to see in our great country.”
“As you already know from our numerous conversations, ’twill be called the Highland Defiance,” Marek said into Chara’s mind. “But ‘tis not for us to tell him I dinnae think. ‘Tis for him to come up with on his own.”
Chara shivered with awareness at the feel of him speaking within her mind. Nothing had ever sounded so good. Felt so good in a way she couldn’t describe.
“Understandable.” She didn't miss his approval at the sound of her in his mind either. “Adlin has to shape his own destiny.”
“Aye,” he responded. “Though, surprisingly enough, I think he’s going to have a wee bit o’ help we never knew about.”
She glanced at Leviathan and Destiny, understanding.
“’Tis precisely what I’m hoping for,” Adlin confirmed, responding to Marek’s suggestion that the building he erected be used to bring people together in peace. “For I’m afraid great strife lies on the horizon for those of us who believe in the one God and those who still embrace the old gods.” He looked at Destiny with sympathy, referring to her goddess status. “It cannae be easy to see so many souls turn from ye.”
“Actually, I’m only half goddess,” Destiny replied. “So it doesn’t bother me all that much.” She shrugged a shoulder. “As to full gods, there are enough like you about still, that it’s not that alarming yet.”
“Enough like me?” Adlin murmured before he apparently figured it out. “Those who embrace the new ways but dinnae shun or cast judgment on the old ways.”
“That’s right,” Destiny confirmed. “Those who respect and encourage various faiths co-existing. Who don’t want war over religion.”
“Aye.” Adlin sighed. “Yet sometimes I fear ‘tis a losing battle. That people will always fight, thinking they know best, when in truth, such bloodshed is the last thing their deities would want.”
“Most of them anyway,” Destiny agreed, troubled. “There will always be a handful that thrive when humans are at war.”
“Gods of war, no doubt.” Adlin considered Destiny. “What god were ye born of?”
“Nobody important.” She refocused on the land in front of them. “What matters is seeing your building erected.”
“Aye.” Adlin considered the area again, tactful enough not to press her. “At first, I thought to put a grand castle to draw eyes and people, but I amnae so sure ‘tis what is needed most right now.” He shook his head. “And quite honestly, I amnae powerful enough yet to create such.”
“He’s right,” Marek confirmed telepathically. “Though by no means weak at this stage in his existence, Adlin grows stronger with time.”
“I think you’re right, Adlin,” Destiny agreed, prompting him along. “Something less eye-drawing would be best.” She looked at him kindly. “You won’t be alone trying to create it either. I can help as well.”
“As can I,” Leviathan added. “I’m an Ancient, after all. My magic can forge a foundation and walls that will withstand the test of time.”
“Have you built something before?” Adlin asked curiously. “Do you ken the dynamics of constructing a building?”
“Enough so,” Leviathan assured. “Though conventional beauty is not something we dragons strive for when creating our lairs, strength and endurance is.” He perked a brow at Adlin. “That is what you need of this building, yes?”
“It is.” Adlin nodded and gazed at the area. “I accept yer help, then, dragon.” He looked at Destiny. “Both of yours.” He glanced at Chara and Marek curiously. “Would ye like to help as well?”
“No,” Destiny and Leviathan said at the same time.
“It’s best their magic stay out of this for now,” Destiny explained when Adlin frowned in question. “As it is, my helping you will include a piece of Chara.” She looked at Chara. “It will include the last bit of you that I’m able to conceal.”
“So, she’ll return to normal once you do this?” Marek said, clearly eager to see her in the form he was used to. She well understood. If he looked like anyone but him, she’d be eager for him to return to normal too.
Destiny nodded at Marek. “Yes, Chara will return to normal.”
Marek nodded, relieved, yet, as always, a sweetheart when he looked her way. “Not to say you arenae bonny in this form.”
Clearly a romantic at heart, Adlin looked back and forth between them and smiled before he reflected on what Destiny had said. “What do ye mean precisely when ye say Chara’s magic will be part of my building?” He glanced from Marek to Destiny. “And why not include my descendant’s magic in its creation? Would that not make sense?”
“In time, you’ll fully understand why C
hara’s magic should be involved,” Destiny provided. True to form, she dished out information to Adlin as needed. “As to Marek, it’s best he not contribute.” Though she paused, it seemed her friend decided it best to be honest about this. “Though he’s a good man and a noble wizard and dragon, Marek is at the heart of something very sinister that took place before you were conceived, Adlin. Something that may or may not be able to track him even now. More so, influence his magic and, in turn, your building.”
“Ah.” While most people wouldn’t want someone so potentially dangerous around, Adlin was clearly not most people. Especially when it came to kin. “So what we are about to build will keep Marek safe for a time, aye?”
“Yes,” Leviathan confirmed. “Not only that but allowing him to stay will make all the difference in what’s to come for the fate of your people. And your fate as well, Adlin.”
Adlin eyed Leviathan for a moment before he looked at Destiny, seeming to sense more to the Viking’s vague words. Either because of his magic or simply because Adlin was at the heart of so much. “This doesnae just have to do with my future but the distant past, aye? Not merely before I came to be but a great deal further back?”
“That’s right,” Destiny said softly. “Long ago, to be sure.”
“Well, then,” Adlin murmured, thinking that over before coming to a swift decision. He looked at the area in front of them again before glancing at Destiny and Leviathan. “I guess we best keep things on track, aye?”
“It would be best.” Leviathan stood on one side of him and Destiny the other. “Envision how you would like it to look, and we will assist.”
“Aye, then.” Adlin considered it a moment before he flung his arms up. As he began chanting and directing his magic, his clothing transformed to white robes in the blink of an eye.
A Scot's Retribution (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era Book 5) Page 4
