Mystic Realms: A Limited Edition Collection

by Nicole Morgan

  Torkel frowned at her. She didn’t believe, but she could recite the ballad word-for-word.

  “Do you understand its purpose?”

  “It’s just a story.”

  “It was used to caution people, mostly children that seeing a fairy was a bad thing and to not go around looking for things that couldn’t be understood. The hag stones can be used to protect one from evil, but if you look through the hole in the center you might see into another world.”

  “You sound so serious, Torkel.” Ella brushed his hair from his forehead. “I’ll promise to never look through one of the stones if that will make you happy.”

  “Aye, that would make me very happy,” he said and wondered how he was going to be able to convince her of the truth of Aileen’s curse and its solution. Running his hand down her hair, he said, “Tell me about your life in the New World.”

  She laughed, then rested her head on his shoulder. “I already told you I grew up on a farm in New York. My grandparents raised me, but they died my senior year of High School.”

  “How old were you when that happened?”

  “Eighteen.”

  “Go on.”

  “I was old enough to be on my own. The farm was sold to pay their bills and funeral expenses, and just enough so I could move into an apartment and enroll in University. I worked to pay my tuition and living expenses. I was in my Sophomore year when I was ‘discovered’ by a director who came into the restaurant where I worked.”

  “A director?”

  “A person who directs movies or plays.”

  “I’ve seen plays in Fife. I liked them.”

  “I like them, too, at least, I did at first, but fame and fortune aren’t what they’re cut out to be. I got so tired of being stalked by fans and reporters. I couldn’t go anywhere without being followed and photographed, and I didn’t have any friends. I know I have a great life that most people would envy but I found out really fast, people would do anything to get ahead, including using me. In fact, when I saw the ad for the cottage here in Scotland and a man stepped out of it, I thought he was an actor trying to use me to get a break.”

  “An ad?”

  “It’s something that lets other people know about something.”

  “A handbill,” he said and nodded. “You acted in plays?”

  “Yes and in movies.”

  “You said you were famous and have a fortune, but you don’t sound happy.”

  “I wasn’t. I know I should be, but I just always felt like something was missing. As if being discovered was bad luck and it put me on a path I shouldn’t have been on.”

  “What path would you have chosen?” he asked while stroking his hand over her silky hair. It curled and clung to his fingers.

  “I loved growing up on a farm and learning to garden and cook. I even loved milking the cows and gathering the eggs. We had this one chicken that would always chase me. My grandfather would laugh so hard while he yelled at me to run.” Sighing, she snuggled up to him. “Losing them was so hard.”

  “Aye, especially when all you yearn for is a family of your own.”

  “Yes, and that’s what I wanted. To have a family of my own and to teach other people how to garden and cook.”

  “You would have liked doing that?” he asked.

  “Yes. I think so.” She yawned and rested her head on his shoulder. “You smell so good, Torkel. Like you do in my dreams when you hold me.”

  He felt her fall asleep. Holding her, he watched the fire die down to embers while he thought about what she’d said. He’d been dreaming of a woman and he knew now it was Ella. Had she been dreaming of him? Had they met and made love dozens of times in their dreams? He knew her, Knew her touch, her scent. Now he knew her face and the sound of her voice.

  Getting up, he carried her across the room and laid her on the bed, removed her gown and slid her beneath the clean covers. Returning to the fire, he placed enough peat on it to burn till morning then undressed and slid into bed next to her. Holding her, he admitted to himself that he was in love with her and always would be, whether she stayed with him or not.

  Chapter Six

  Torkel wandered along the shore with Maggie and Bennie keeping pace on either side of him. It wasn’t the first time he’d walked the shores of the loch feeling hopeless and they’d picked up on his emotional state and wanted to comfort him. Maggie whined and brushed against him. He glanced down and found her looking up at him. If a dog could weep he’d believe she cried for him. He patted her neck. “There’s nothing can fix this, Maggie. I love the lass too much to tell her. She has a soft heart and would stay with me but it wouldn’t be fair to her.”

  Reaching down, he picked up a stone and threw it into the loch the same way he’d thrown his sword into the loch so long ago. It had disappeared quietly, slicing into the water without a splash. The stone disturbed the calm surface, creating a series of expanding circles that raced toward the shore but faded long before reaching it.

  Aileen’s curse was like that stone, he thought. She’d cast it and he and his men were caught in the circle of waves she’d created but unlike those waves they’d never fade away. Never die. They’d go on and on, century after century, and there’d be no peace for them. No happiness either.

  He’d always believed happiness would fill him the moment his woman, his one true love, entered the glen. Now he knew better. This was a defining moment and a true measure of the man he believed himself to be.

  He had to let Ella go. Back to her world where a person could climb into a machine that would fly them anywhere in the world in a day. A world where plays were watched and books read on things called screens. He didn’t understand all the things she’d told him but he knew she didn’t belong in his world where she’d freeze and perhaps starve in the winter.

  Having made his decision, he knew the sooner he acted on it the better and he walked with purpose toward the river. If the level was down, he’d lead her back to where he’d found her. They’d gather her belongings and he’d take her as close to the road as he could. As close as the mist that surrounded the glen would allow him to go.

  He’d send her on her way but he wouldn’t watch her leave. That he couldn’t do. It would destroy him to see her walk out of his life never to return. He’d turn away and return to his cottage. Eventually, he’d be content again with his books, his hounds and his men.

  At the top of a small rise he caught a glimpse of the water. The level was down and the water sparkled in the sunlight as if it was any other day and not one of the worst days of his life. Drawing in a deep breath, he stiffened his shoulders and tried to accept the inevitable.

  Across the river the tavern door opened and Caderyn stepped into view. Torkel could see that he hailed him but the words were lost to the wind but he understood the arm Caderyn waved. He’d wondered if they’d seen him and Ella in his boat yesterday and now he had the answer. They had, and Caderyn had been elected to talk to him.

  He wouldn’t lie and say it had been Aileen. She’d never stepped foot in the glen in all this time and his men knew it. He’d wanted to introduce Ella to them when he’d first woke and thought he could tell her the truth and ask her to stay, but now he wanted to spare them the knowledge of her presence. He didn’t know if they’d understand why he was sending her away. They’d suffered enough because of him and he had a feeling there was more suffering to come. Each man would have to make a decision once his woman entered the glen, and he was sure now they were on their way.

  He braced himself as Caderyn waded through the river. The expression on his face was the same as the one he wore before a battle. Determined, serious, fierce. The sun lit up his red hair and washed the blue from his eyes leaving them a light gray and making him appear almost demonic.

  “Torkel,” Caderyn’s greeting sounded terse.

  “Caderyn.” Torkel drew up his body and fisted his hands, prepared to protect Ella.

  “We saw you on the loch yesterday. There was ano
ther person with you.”

  “Aye,” he said.

  “A woman with long dark hair.”

  Torkel nodded. He and Caderyn were brothers. They’d fought side-by-side, protecting each other through so many battles. They’d been wounded many times, and they carried scars that would never fade. If there was anyone he trusted it was the man before him. “Aye, a woman. The hounds led me to her during the storm two nights ago. She was freezing and near death when I found her and carried her back to my cottage.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Ella Ross. She told me she was lost when she saw a light from my cottage, and tried to walk to it for help.”

  “When were you going to tell us about her?”

  “I wasn’t. She doesn’t belong here. I intend to take her as close to the border of the glen as I can. From there she can find her way back to her own world.”

  “Don’t you think we deserve the chance to meet her? To see if she’s meant for one of us.”

  Torkel shook his head. “No, Caderyn, Ella is my woman.”

  “Then, why are ye sending her away?” Caderyn yelled. “Are ye daft?”

  Sighing, Torkel leaned his hip against a nearby boulder. Maybe talking to Caderyn would help him accept that he had to let her go.

  Sunlight streamed into the room waking Ella. Smiling, she stretched, sat up and searched for Torkel but she was alone. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she gathered the sheet around her and stood. The floor felt cool beneath her feet but no longer freezing. She credited the sunlight for warming it and wandered to the window. Off in the distance Torkel and his hounds walked along the beach.

  Eager to be with him she hurried to the fireplace where low flames flickered and a pot of water steamed. Knowing he’d left the water for her she smiled, wet a cloth and washed before she used a green twig to clean her teeth. A bowl of small green leaves sat on the edge of the cupboard next to the bread she intended to bake later. She sniffed the leaves and recognized the scent of mint. Chewing one, she tied a sarong around herself and finger-combed the tangles from her hair as she hurried from the cottage, leaving the door open behind her.

  A man, larger than Torkel, stood near him and appeared to be yelling as he waved his hands about then planted them on his hips. When he saw her walking toward them he stared and dropped his hands to his sides.

  Unsure, Ella slowed her steps then ran to Torkel feeling the need to be close to him. Out of breath, she reached him just as he turned to face her. He appeared solemn and pain darkened his eyes. “Torkel, what’s wrong?” she asked, and reached for his arm.

  “Ella, return to the cottage. I’ll join you in a few minutes,” Torkel said.

  “I woke alone,” she said, and felt a blush heat her cheeks. Glancing at the other man, she smiled, and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Ella Ross.”

  The huge warrior brushed the tips of her fingers with his and introduced himself, “I’m Caderyn. Torkel’s brother.”

  She laughed. “But not Himself, the bastard.”

  Caderyn shook his head. “No, not the bastard.”

  Ella smiled again while Caderyn studied her and the clothes she wore. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she wished she’d thrown the shawl over her shoulders especially when his gaze stopped on Torkel’s ring.

  “You wear Torkel’s ring. Where did you get it?” Caderyn asked.

  “Aileen gave it to me,” she said and saw Caderyn’s eyes widen before he glanced at Torkel.

  “If you don’t tell her the truth, I will,” Caderyn said.

  “Caderyn—” Torkel said, but was interrupted.

  “And then your deeds revealed,” Caderyn said.

  Puzzled, Ella asked, “What deeds?”

  Torkel sighed, glanced at her then back to Caderyn. “I’ll tell her but my decision is made.”

  “I’ve never known a man’s decision to stand against a woman’s will but you’re free to try to be the first.” Caderyn grinned, nodded at Ella, and bid them farewell.

  Torkel grasped her arm and led her back toward the cottage. “I’ll explain but the river is down and I’m taking you across it and back to the road and your car.”

  “Oh, okay. We can get the map and try to find my cottage,” she said with no intention of staying there. She’d contact Aileen and have her clothes brought to her but she intended to stay with Torkel in his home. She didn’t understand it but she felt sure they were meant to be together and something, fate or magic, or whatever a person wanted to call it, had brought them together. She squeezed his arm. “You had something to tell me?”

  Torkel walked a few steps away from her then turned and faced her. “I was born in 1424 in the Highlands of Scotland.”

  Ella gaped at him and knew she looked ridiculous. Mouth open and eyes wide she fought to regain control and finally managed it after several long seconds. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

  “No, not a joke and before you ask I’m not daft either.” Approaching her, he lifted her to the top of a smooth boulder and left his hands on either side of her hips as he stared into her eyes. “I have a twin brother. He was born three minutes before me.”

  “Himself, the bastard,” she said and saw the disgust, or contempt flicker in his eyes for just a moment.

  “Aye, that’s the one. He was the heir and spoiled by our parents. They took great pride in his disgusting behavior and encouraged it while my men and I fought for the clan. The last battle we fought was the Battle of Lochmaben Stone in 1448.” He turned and stared at the loch as if he was looking into the the past. “It was terrible, Ella, so much dying.” The words echoed with remembered pain.

  “Torkel—”

  “I returned home, but I was a different man. A broken man.”

  He glanced at her and she knew he wondered if his confession made her think less of him. It didn’t. She met his gaze and sent him as much love as she could in that one glance. “Go on.”

  “I was trained to be a warrior by my father’s younger brother, Fergus. He was a warrior but also a man of learning. I wanted to be like him. To learn and explore the world. The ring you wear was his. He gave it to me as it had been given to him. Passed down from second son to second son for generations.”

  She ran her fingers over it, feeling the smooth, worn gold. “You must have recognized it when you saw it.”

  “Aye, I recognized it.”

  Ella held it up. “What do the symbol and words mean?”

  He reached out to touch it then drew his hand back. “The stag represents wisdom. The words are Latin. ‘Wisdom conquers the sword.’”

  “Why didn’t you tell me it belonged to you?”

  “You said Aileen gave it to you. I hoped—” He shook his head, then sat down next to her. He appeared to be sad and defeated.

  “What did you hope, Torkel?”

  He didn’t answer her question. Instead he continued his story. “After the battle at Lochmaben Stone I stayed drunk, and I avoided my men.”

  “Because they reminded you of the fighting and death?”

  “Aye. Fergus found me passed out on the shore. He threw me into the loch.” A small smile curved his lips. “It was winter and the water was freezing cold. Every time I waded to shore he shoved me back in until I was sober enough to push him aside. Only then did he let me onto dry land.”

  Ella’s eyes filled with tears when his eyes reddened as if he fought tears. She wanted to hold and comfort him for all he’d lost but knew it would be better to let him finish telling her his story.

  “Fergus was like a father to me. More than my own father ever was. He saved me that day, Ella. He gave me the ring, tossed a bundle of clothes at my feet, and told me to get myself to St. Andrews University in Fife. I dressed, threw my sword in the loch, and left. I was miles from home when some of my men caught up to me and insisted on going along.”

  “Is your sword in this loch, Torkel?” she asked, pointing to the water.

  “Aye,” he said. “The ruin on the isla
nd was my family home.”

  “The island belongs to Himself, the bastard?”

  “Aye.” He grasped her hand, and spoke rapidly. “Quinlan saw Aileen. He wanted her but knew she’d have nothing to do with him. He pretended to be me, and his men backed him in the lie. She fell in love with him. He seduced her then tossed her aside. In her anger, she cursed “‘Torkel MacAsgaill and his loyal men.’”

  “She named you and your men instead of Quinlan and his men.”

  “Aileen cursed us with immortality and exiled us to this glen.”

  “Why doesn’t she just undo the curse?”

  “Once done, it can’t be undone.”

  “How could she be so reckless?” Angry, she jumped to her feet and paced away from him then turned and held out her arms indicating the land around them. “How did you get here?”

  He shrugged. “One moment we were in Fife. The next we were here, and here we remain.”

  “If this is your home wasn’t your family here when you arrived?”

  He shook his head. “My glen but not my time, Ella. We didn’t realize where we were at first. We arrived in the middle of a blizzard and spent that first winter at my cottage. We barely survived. It wasn’t until we found the village that we realized where we were.”

  Fisting her hands, Ella spun around, her hair a dark cloud around her face. “What happened to that bastard, Quinlan?”

  His bark of laughter held no humor. “He’s immortal but he can come and go as he pleases. He has to spend several months of every year trying to earn Aileen’s forgiveness, but she’ll never forgive him.”

  “Good, he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.” She glared at the island. “Does he live there? On the island?”

  “No, but he and Aileen visit it whenever she wishes.”

  “How do they get there if they can’t step foot in the glen?”

  “Aileen is very powerful, Ella.”

  “She uses her powers to bring them here.” Sitting down next to him she grasped his hand. “Can you ever leave the glen?”