by Candace Sams
Kathy laughed. The boy couldn't be more than four or five years old. From years of experience in dealing with pediatric emergencies, she knew that children that age generally spoke whatever was on their minds. That they were Fairies didn't make their curiosity different. “Thank you. Are you helping gather herbs tonight?"
"Uh-huh. Merry and me are helping Mum.” He paused and moved closer to her. “You can touch my wings if you want. It doesn't hurt."
Kathy looked at his mother for approval. Clove smiled at her and nodded. Kathy gently stretched her fingers out toward the outline of the wings. As soon as she made contact, a strange feeling came over her. It was as though her heart felt lighter than it had in years.
Seeing her older brother getting special attention, Merry moved forward and turned her back toward Kathy. “Touch mine, tooooooo,” she pleaded.
Kathy laughed and did so. Again, the feeling of euphoria came over her. “You two are darlings,” she crooned, then instinctively hugged them both.
The little boy looked up at Kathy and stretched out his arms. He loosely looped them about her neck. “You're gonna’ have a Goblin baby, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am.” Kathy tousled his long, dark hair.
"Can we play with it when it comes?"
"The baby will be quite small at first,” Clove informed him. “When it gets a little bigger, maybe you can play in the Goblin Meadow together."
"I think that would be splendid,” Kathy smiled at the boy. “You can be her very first friends."
Timmon beamed. “Tearach, did ya heared?” he said. “Kathy says Merry an’ me can be the baby's first friends."
Tearach had no response. Many others would be hurt when the baby didn't survive. Everyone in the woods always took the death of a child so very hard. He lifted the boy up and hugged him. Having known him since he was a tiny baby, Timmon hugged him back with trusting abandon.
"Up too, up too.” Merry raised her little arms.
Tearach scooped her up with his free arm, and Merry gifted him with a kiss on the cheek. If only his child could survive. But it would be easier to catch a ride on a comet than hope one more time in vain. His heart couldn't take it.
Kathy watched him cuddle the children and talk to them. Even in the dark, she could see how careful he was not to crush their little wings. He was patient when answering their questions and held them lovingly. A child would be very safe with him. Safe and loved. She was enchanted with the whole picture and wanted so much to see him hold their baby.
"I'd better get these two to collecting herbs or they'll be asking you questions forever,” Clove said with a laugh. “Come along, darlings."
"Wanna’ stay wif Tearach,” Merry announced, with a slight lisp.
"Go with your mother, my sweet. I'll see you later,” Tearach promised as he carefully lowered the children to the ground.
"They're so adorable,” Kathy said. “And they seem to trust you a great deal."
He shrugged. “I love children. They sense that and respond accordingly."
Kathy watched the retreating figures. “I wish I could have seen them in the light. They must be beautiful beings."
Tearach watched her expression. With his amplified powers of vision, he saw nothing but wonder and awe on her face. There was no sign of someone wanting to view what, in the outside world, would surely be deemed freaks of nature. Kathy simply saw beauty and wanted to embrace it. It made his heart soften toward her that much more and made their dark future all the harder to accept.
Chapter Ten
For a time, Tearach walked with her. Neither of them said a thing. It was as if Kathy was content with the magic of the moment, and he was equally occupied by wallowing in his own dark thoughts. Soon, they approached the lights of small campfires. Kathy gasped as she caught full view of some of the denizens of their enchanted realm.
Fairies hovered and talked with one another, their skins colored to match their wings. Small Elves, Imps, Pixies and others moved in and out of the firelight. “Oh, Tearach, how wondrous. Living with these people must be the most gratifying experience. I wish others could see this. If people only knew..."
"They can't! At least, not the way the world is now,” Tearach quickly responded. “Not everyone would be inclined to be as open-minded as you. You must always remember that. And, no matter whatever happens, you must never tell another outsider what you've seen here. Promise me this.” He gripped her forearms, demanding she comply.
"I'll never be the cause of anyone being harmed here. You must believe that."
Surprisingly, he did. He knew she'd never been anything but honest with him, even when she'd run away. She was too strong, too iron-willed, to resort to guile or subterfuge. She'd given him fair warning that she would try to escape, so his anger about that incident was over, especially since Cairna was at peace. “All right. But be careful what questions you ask of anyone. Some may only accept your presence here because the Sorceress orders it so."
She nodded and followed him closer to the firelight. A tall figure approached, and though she had never seen him in his true form, she recognized Lore. A flowing, silver-white mane of hair drifted down his back. His skin was a lighter shade of green than Tearach's, and his wings could only be described as ethereal. They erupted from his back in a kaleidoscope of blues and greens. Like Tearach, the tips of his ears came to a point, and his eyes had an exotic tilt to them as well. As were all the men in this fantasy world, he was built to fight. Kathy was speechless.
"First taste of the Fairy realm I take it,” Lore said as he saw Kathy's wide-eyed expression.
"You're just ... I have no words..."
Lore laughed outright. “Too magnificent for description, eh? Not to sound conceited, I've been described that way before,” he remarked. “Come along, Kathy. I'll introduce you to some of the others."
The tall, green man led an all too ready Kathy away. Tearach watched in silence. Predictably, her awe was eventually overcome with curiosity, and she began asking a million questions. Some of the men and women allowed her to touch their wings, and they conversed with her in such an extroverted fashion that it seemed she would soon count many of them as friends. Truth be told, when they weren't arguing over some point, Kathy had a wonderfully open personality. She was tactful, intelligent and kind. She was brightness to his despair. If only things in the world were different. If only.
As he looked on, Tearach soon perceived a lurking presence. Either no one else felt the threat, or the Elves and Fairies were unconcerned. Still, common sense told him no good came of a person creeping about so stealthily.
Though the figure was well-hidden, his keen eyesight could certainly see the being's approach. Slowing tracking the moving body, he began to recognize a woman of his own kind. Then he understood who it was and relinquished an automatic hold on his belt knife. As ever, she was tall, voluptuous and looked angry. He was immediately alerted to the unannounced, abrupt nature of her appearance. Had she been brought back to the Order, or had she escaped and come back on her own? If she had, Shayla would punish her, and that would be another crime on his conscience. The Sorceress had no right sending her away in the first place.
"Mabb, what are you doing here?” he asked as he quickly walked toward her.
"You don't sound happy to see me,” she gruffly replied. “And I hadn't heard you missed me all that much."
He noted her voice's sour tone and felt guilty for not having thought of her plight more often. “I wasn't aware you were allowed back. But, of course, I'm very glad to see you. I would have argued for your return more forcefully, but you may have heard that Shayla and I haven't been very agreeable of late. My words hold no importance any longer. Still, you're most welcome home.” He smiled and patted her shoulder in a brotherly way. His poor greeting and pitiful excuses wouldn't make up for her being sent into temporary exile.
Mabb slowly looked him over. “Shayla said I could finally come home. The curse, it seems, is over.” She gazed at Kathy an
d frowned. “She's as lovely as everyone has said. Quite stunning. But that was the Sorceress’ intention all along, wasn't it? To find some pale-skinned beauty to make it easier for you to wallow with?"
Something warned him to be very careful. Mabb had a horrifying temper, and the look she cast in Kathy's direction was malicious. “If you're angry about something, talk to me about it, Mabb."
"Why should I be angry?” she snapped back. “Her kind all but destroyed us, and you had to lie with her and get her with child. How should I feel?"
"If you truly believe the curse is over, you should be elated, just like everyone else seems to be.” He waved a hand toward the crowds now surrounding Kathy.
Her expression softened a bit. “You've done your duty. It couldn't have been very palatable to have sex with her.” She moved close to him. “There's nothing to keep you from being with a woman of your own kind now. A woman who can satisfy your appetites and give you an heir of pure blood."
Tearach looked down at the hand she placed upon his bicep. “What would you have me do? Abandon her and the baby?"
"She's trash, as far beneath us as anything slithering under a rock. The baby will be a half-cast. It probably won't even have powers that can benefit the Order.” She paused and gazed up at him. “You don't owe the Sorceress anything else. I'll give you the children we both want and need."
"Abandoning a child and mate isn't our way. It isn't my way. And you and I have never had any relationship that warrants this reaction, Mabb. We've spoken of this many times."
"She isn't your mate, darling,” she sarcastically pointed out. “You haven't handfasted with her. She's carrying your seed, not your heart. Or am I missing something?"
He ignored the gist of the question. “As shattered as my reputation already is, what kind of minuscule honor would be left to me if I did such a thing? I won't abandon those who ... those in my care,” he quickly amended. “It isn't our way,” he repeated. “Yours is the kind of talk I would expect from an outsider."
Mabb paused and stared at him for a long moment. “You want to be with her, don't you?"
"What I want doesn't enter into it. You're suggesting I leave a woman who's carrying my child and go off into the woods with another. I'd be trash, Mabb. There's no other word I can think of to describe a man who'd do such a thing."
She put her hands up in a supplicating gesture. “You only did it to end the curse, didn't you? Well, it's done. Come to me. If you're so insistent about doing the honorable thing, we can raise the outsider's child together while awaiting the birth or our own. Once that baby is born, your little Kathy won't have a thing to do with it anyway, especially if it looks like one of us."
In the deepest part of his heart, Tearach knew that wasn't true. Kathy had already had a chance to end the child's life and had rejected that option. She did want her baby. Their baby. It disturbed him that Mabb, a woman of his own race, would suggest such a thing. It seemed outsiders weren't the only ones who could commit or condone an act of dishonor.
Shayla had once reminded him that he'd killed one of his own kind to let a human live safely among them. The man he'd killed, his best friend, had spoken the same words of hatred Mabb did now. He feared for the Goblin woman's future if she didn't relinquish her bitterness. He'd already been made an example of, and he wanted no other Goblins to suffer for their opinions of humans. Enough was enough.
"Go home,” he brusquely commanded. “If you believe the curse is truly over, there are a few eligible Goblin men left who'd want you as a mate. Handfasted or not, Kathy is the same as a mate to me, and I won't do wrong by her or the child she's carrying. End of subject!” He swiped his hand in the air to punctuate the point.
They'd been so deeply entrenched in their discussion he hadn't registered the approach of the very woman whose fate was being discussed. “Yes, Mabb, go home. My life, my baby's and Tearach's are our business. Our future isn't something to be manipulated by some jealous woman bent on having her own way. If you cared about Tearach, really cared, you would want him to be happy."
"And you think you have what it takes to make him so?” Mabb snorted, derisively looking Kathy up and down.
Kathy looked straight at Tearach. “That's between the two of us. But one thing I know. He cares about people too much to ever find happiness doing what you suggest. Tearach has too much dignity."
Tearach was deeply moved that she thought such a thing about him. Especially after his humiliation in front of the entire Order.
Mabb turned to him. “When you're ready, you know where to find me.” She stalked off into the night.
Almost visible strands of envy, pain and jealousy followed Mabb as she left. Tearach walked to Kathy and looped his arm about her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. He was aware that many of the Order had overheard the exchange, and it galled him that something so private would be the newest gossip. But then, so would Kathy's compliment. “I'm sorry about this. In other times, Mabb would have never behaved in such a way. The past eight years have been a living hell for all of us."
Kathy smiled. “You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have said what I did. She's one of your people, and I can't hold it against her or anyone else that outsiders aren't viewed with particular favor. It isn't right that all of you have to hide like this."
"As I said earlier, there are others who might feel the same way as Mabb. It might not be a good idea to be alone among them as yet.” He glanced toward the part of the forest in which Mabb had retreated. “Make sure me, Cairna, or Rome is with you at all times."
She raised her eyebrows. “It took you and Lore to kidnap me. Do you think I'm incapable of defending myself, or that it might be necessary? What about the Sorceress’ command that I be left alone?"
"It's best not to put yourself in harm's way. And you don't want anything to happen to the baby, do you?"
Her hands went protectively to her abdomen. “You think someone would want to hurt it?"
"It's just a precaution."
"And what difference would it make to you if, as you say, the child's going to die anyway?” she accused.
"While it lives, I'll keep it safe!"
She moved very close to him. “Then you'll be protecting it for a very long time, because it's going to outlive us. I know you don't believe that. So, I'll just have to believe enough for the both of us. But there's one thing I want."
"And that is?"
"To see the look on your face when you realize you're going to be the father of a healthy baby. I know you want to give up, to be some kind of martyr. I'm afraid it's going to be quite a shock when you finally get it through your hard head that everything will be all right."
"Kathy, I'd give my very blood to be shocked in such a way. But until that moment comes, I'll keep you and the baby safe."
"I know, I know.” She sighed in resignation. “Your honor demands it."
She turned away and walked toward a group of newly arrived Druids. They were standing around the stump of a large oak, drinking. Owen was among them. She was soon smiling, laughing, and joking with them. She seemed so at ease with everyone. When the Druid doctor placed his arm around her shoulders, it took everything in Tearach not to walk over and knock the Druid on his ass. He disliked having Owen touch her. Probably some protective instinct from bygone days. Owen was, after all, a doctor. No doubt Owen would want to examine her in the months ahead. But he'd insist on one stipulation. Kathy wasn't to be examined by anyone without him being present. With that thought in mind, he quickly moved to her side.
"Good evening, Tearach,” Owen greeted and handed him a measure of ale.
"Delaney,” Tearach acknowledged, purposely using the man's last name. He took the goblet of ale and tossed it down his throat in one gulp. It seemed to him that the Druid watched Kathy too closely and his eyes roamed over her body too often.
"I was just asking Kathy how things were going,” Owen told him.
"I'm as well as any pregnant woman
can be,” Kathy responded with a grin. “Can I book an exam with you? I've neglected doing so far too long as it is, though Shayla keeps assuring me everything will be fine,” she said with a bit too much sarcasm.
"Of course.” He smiled engagingly and offered her some fresh fruit cider. “I'll be here Tuesday. Come by any time."
Tearach helped himself to some more ale. “We'll be there."
"Good,” Owen said with a nod. Then he turned his attention back to Kathy. “You're beginning to show nicely. That's a good sign things are progressing well.” Owen moved forward and lifted his hand. He was just about to place it on Kathy's abdomen when Tearach stopped him.
He gripped Kathy's shoulders and pulled her just out of the man's reach. “If you don't mind, I don't think that's particularly appropriate,” he muttered, ignoring Kathy's look of annoyance.
"Tearach,” she gasped and pulled away from him. “He's a doctor, for God's sake."
"Really, old man,” Owen said with a smile. “I wasn't about to do anything I don't do with any other pregnant woman. I was just going to see if I could feel the baby's position."
Tearach ground his teeth together. “Not here. And not now. And I don't care what you do with other women, just be careful with Kathy,” he warned.
Kathy turned and was about to deliver an angry retort when Owen raised his hand and stopped her.
"It's all right, Kathy. It's been so long since a Goblin baby was expected here that I'd completely forgotten that their fathers are exceedingly cautious. It's in their blood. No harm done. Help yourself to some more cider, and I'll see you Tuesday.” Owen nodded at her and walked toward some of the other Druids.
Kathy rounded on Tearach. “What was that all about? You sound just like that Goblin woman."
The inference that he was like Mabb was embarrassing, but he couldn't help himself. “I don't want you ever seeing him without me being present. Is that clear?"
Kathy tilted her head back and glared into his dark eyes. “You don't tell me what to do."
