by Candace Sams
"Yes, I am,” he contradicted. Then he held the baby up over his face and grinned at her. “I'm a womanizing devil. Yes, I am, little green pea."
Tearach looked at Kathy and smirked. “He's a real wretch."
Kathy burst out laughing. She had read incidents about his throwing public tantrums when the press got too close. But he kept his identity secret, choosing the pseudonym DeForest. And, as she now realized, his pretended artistic flares of temper were probably staged to keep the media away. They also sold a lot of wonderful art. Being eccentric added a lot onto the price tags. His crafts were always beautiful pieces, using crystals and fantasy designs. She also knew where he got his inspiration. Living in the middle of an enchanted forest would inspire anyone.
"Why don't you two look around some more and let me play with this little bunny,” Gawain urged. “You want to come with me, don't you sweetheart.” The baby took that opportune moment coo loudly. “See, she wants to stay with me for a while."
Tearach shook his head and laughed. “I'll show Kathy the rest of the building. We'll be back in half an hour. Is that all right with you, Kathy?"
Gawain gently turned the baby around and faced her toward Kathy. “Tell her it's all right, pumpkin. You and I will sneak off and I'll show you some pretty crystals. Tell Mummy she can take all the time she wants."
Kathy was enchanted with the man. He was both breathtakingly handsome and cute as a puppy. “I think she'll be safe with you."
"Snug as a bug,” Gawain grinned and walked away. He went from artist to artist, playing with the baby and making people laugh.
Kathy chuckled at his antics. “He's a charmer."
"You'll never find a better man,” Tearach proclaimed.
"He must be a good friend. You've never handed the baby to anyone but Cairna, Rome or the Sorceress."
"I'd trust him with my life."
"Well, I know another man just as good as Gawain,” she said and walked away to look at a piece of pottery.
Tearach smiled and followed her as she made her way from one room to the next. Then they moved to the upper floors. She asked intelligent questions and received promises from several artisans to show her more of their work. There just didn't seem to be much that Kathy wasn't interested in. If their baby had half her mother's intellect, the child would be a genius.
* * * *
"It's getting late. I'd better pry the baby away from Gawain. I have to be on guard duty tonight."
Realizing it would be their first night apart, Kathy's heart tightened, and she felt a sense of trepidation. She shook off her misgivings and waited for Tearach to collect their daughter. They walked back to the cottage in silence. As soon as they got through the door, Tearach began to gather the items he'd need for the night. “I hate leaving you. You know that, don't you?"
She nodded and hugged him hard. “You'll be back in the morning. I'll just have to keep warm all alone."
He touched her cheek. “No, sweetheart. My body may not be here, but my heart will.” He softly kissed her, then quickly left.
For a few moments, Kathy walked with the baby. When Tearyn began to show signs of wanting to nurse, she took her upstairs and fed her. After putting the baby down to sleep, she picked up a book, deciding to read herself to sleep.
The cool, late winter wind blew around the cottage, making the fire seem warmer and friendlier. Kathy was on the third chapter of one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, when a loud knock sounded on the downstairs door. She jumped and almost woke up the baby. “Well, no more of Sir Arthur, that's for sure,” she muttered to herself.
The clock on the mantle chimed midnight, and Kathy wondered who could be calling at such a late hour. Then she remembered where she was and looked out the window. A smile spread across her face when she saw Clove, Merry and Timmon standing on the moonlit stoop.
"Come in,” she urged, throwing open the door. Their company was always welcome. It seemed Goblins weren't the only ones who kept strange hours in this place.
"Hello, Kathy. I wasn't sure you'd be awake. We were passing by and saw the light on upstairs. Timmon and Merry have been pestering me to see the baby. I know it's late, and I told them..."
"It's fine,” Kathy broke in. “I'm really glad for the company."
She led the small procession up the stairs to where the baby lay snug in her cradle. The children stared down at her face in awe, and Kathy chuckled. “They've never seen a Goblin baby before, have they?"
"I decided to wait until after the naming ceremony and your life went back to normal before bringing them around.” Clove looked down at the baby. “Oh, Kathy, she's such a pure blessing. You must be so very proud."
"I am. She's good as gold, too."
"Can I touch her?” Timmon asked in a hushed, subdued voice.
"Son, I don't think Kathy would like that. You might wake her up."
Kathy shook her head. “It'll be fine, Timmon. She's a very sound sleeper."
Clove, Merry and Kathy watched as Timmon carefully slid one index finger under the baby's hand. In her sleep, the infant curled her tiny fingers around it and smiled sweetly.
Timmon gazed down at her with his heart in his eyes. “No one will ever hurt you, Tearyn. I'll make very sure,” he promised. “You're soooooo pretty."
"Uh oh,” Clove said, smiling, “someone's got a crush."
Kathy beamed. “I can't wait to tell Tearach she's got a new protector."
"Can I be a protector? Can I really, Kathy?” Timmon asked. His eyes grew as big as two moons.
"Of course you can. And, when she's big enough, you can take her to the Goblin Meadow to play."
He looked back down at the infant and whispered, “Hear that, Tearyn. We're gonna’ be bestest friends."
After feeding the children some cookies and promising she'd bring them to see the baby soon, Clove led them off into the night. She'd told Kathy there were always more herbs to gather, and she was still teaching her children how to do so correctly. Kathy couldn't wait until Tearyn was old enough to learn some of the same tasks, but she had a great deal to learn herself.
She felt much better after Clove's visit. There were friendly people all around her. She had been through some trying times, even violent ones, but, like all new mothers, she wanted the safest conditions for her baby. She again shook off the silly feelings of trepidation and picked up her book. Someone pounded on the door again. Thinking Clove had returned for some reason, Kathy bounced down the stairs, smiling. She threw open the door to find Mabb standing there, glaring maliciously. Kathy tried to slam the door shut, but the Goblin woman pushed her way inside and knocked Kathy to the floor.
"I saw Clove leave and knew you'd be stupid enough to just open the door again without looking,” she bit out. “Too bad you aren't more conscientious. A Goblin woman would be."
Kathy scrambled to her feet. “What the hell do you want? Get out of my house!"
"Your house? Hah! This is Tearach's home. As one of his clansmen, I have every right to be here. You're the one who's the interloper. You're the one who should leave."
"You can go straight to the devil. I'm not going anywhere, and you're damned well not welcome here."
Snarling, Mabb drew her right arm back and threw what she hoped would be a bone crushing punch at Kathy's jaw.
Only self defense training at her father's insistence prompted Kathy to move back at the same instant the strike would have landed. She immediately countered with a punch of her own. It was better aimed and hit Mabb right in the middle of her face. The surprised Goblin woman shrieked in anger and lunged at Kathy with both hands out. Blood dripped from her nose.
Kathy was knocked backwards onto a coffee table. It collapsed beneath their combined weight. The two women rolled, clawing and punching at one another as they did so. Too late, Kathy remembered that Goblins were much stronger than humans. Still, she told herself she could make up the difference in strength with the element of surprise and the gift of a superior intellect. S
he was able to knee Mabb away from her and quickly stand up.
Backing away to give herself time to think, Kathy angrily said, “What do you want, Mabb?"
Mabb pushed herself off the floor. “I want the baby. She's Tearach's and should have been mine."
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you get anywhere near Tearyn."
"It doesn't matter what you think. The baby needs to be with those of her own kind,” Mabb growled. “Tearach will come to realize that sooner or later. I've even taken herbs to lactate. I can nurse the baby and be her mother."
"Not in this life,” Kathy ground out between clenched teeth. She charged Mabb again and hoped, in the back of her mind, someone would hear the commotion and come running. There had to be guards nearby. But no matter what, no one was taking her baby from her.
She pushed Mabb against the wall and struck her in the stomach as hard as she could. Mabb doubled over and fell to her knees. Knowing, if Mabb ever got up, she'd probably kill her, Kathy picked up a poker from the fireplace and threatened the woman by shaking it at her. She prayed she wouldn't have to use the heavy wrought iron. “Want to steal someone's baby? I'll show you what happens when you do! Now, get out."
Ignoring the poker and Kathy's anger, Mabb lunged at her again, managing to grab her by the lower body. She wanted Kathy dead and the baby in her arms.
Kathy dropped the poker and wrestled as best she could. She finally got herself in a position to deliver several uppercuts to the woman's midsection. Because Mabb wouldn't relent, she kept fighting. The only thing in her mind was saving her baby. She kept swinging until she felt herself being hauled off the other woman by a pair of super strong arms. She fought back without caring who it might be. All she could think of was getting to the Goblin before her child's safety could be compromised. If Mabb got to the baby, she'd never see her daughter again. Desperation such as she'd never felt filled her.
"Stop it, Kathy!” Tearach cried out. “You're killing her!"
"She wants the baby!"
Tearach pinned Kathy's arms to her side and dragged her back against him. “Get Mabb out of here and see to it that she gets medical help,” he ordered.
Kathy watched as Rome and another man carefully lifted Mabb's battered body and carried her out of the cottage. Cairna was standing by the door when they left. She glanced questioningly at her uncle and Kathy.
"Should I stay or go?” she quietly asked.
"You'd better leave, honey. At least until I can get Kathy calmed down and find out what happened."
Cairna nodded. “I'll go upstairs and make sure the baby is all right."
When the girl left the room and Tearach was sure Kathy had sufficiently calmed down, he let her go and spun her around to face him. “What in the name of Herne's balls do you think you're doing?"
Kathy stood facing him. Her hands involuntarily clenched and opened. She breathed heavily and tried to gain some sense of composure. “I told you. She wanted Tearyn. I was trying to keep my baby from being carried off into the night."
Tearach stared at her for a moment. “You caught Mabb trying to take Tearyn?"
"No! The witch came to the front door, bold as bloody hell, and told me the baby didn't belong here and she was going to take her."
Tearach watched her chest heaving. There was a wild look in her eyes that boded poorly for anyone who crossed her at this moment. “All right, Kathy.” He tried to remain calm. “I have to make sure Mabb will be all right. Stay with Cairna and I'll be back as soon as I can."
Kathy swung her hair over one shoulder and headed for the stairs.
He caught her upper arm just before she got past him. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?"
Kathy glared at him. “She wasn't capable of hurting me."
"She has three times your..."
"I know she's supposed to have three times my damned strength,” Kathy angrily interrupted. “But someone forgot to tell her I have three times her I.Q.” She stormed up the stairs, slamming the bedroom behind her.
Tearach blinked, pushed his hair back and surveyed the damage in the room. There was a great deal of blood on the floor. Apparently, none of it was Kathy's. He quickly made his way out of the cottage and into the forest. Mabb was so beaten she would need to be taken to the castle. Kathy had to have caught her off guard or the fight would have ended the other way around and Kathy would probably be dead. He picked up his pace and began to lope. He needed to find out what happened before the Sorceress did.
Chapter Fifteen
Owen exited the room and shook his head when he saw Tearach standing in the hall. “It's lucky she isn't dead."
"She's that badly hurt?"
"No, but any woman attempting to take another's child is asking for death, don't you think? At any rate, one of Mabb's ribs is broken. There's some bruising to soft body tissue and internal organs, and her nose is broken."
"Son-of-a-bitch,” Tearach gasped, closed his eyes and passed a hand over his face. “Does the Sorceress know about this yet?"
Owen nodded. “Everyone knows."
"Can I see her?"
He nodded. “She can't talk much. I've given her something for the pain and to make her sleep. Don't stay too long, Tearach.” Owen glanced back at the room where his patient lay. “Kathy must have been frightened out of her wits to have fought a stronger woman so well."
Tearach let the comment go as he quietly entered the room and approached Mabb. She was lying on a bed, and her face was a bruised mass. There was a bandage over the bridge of her nose, and she moaned when she saw him. “How are you doing?"
"Why, Tearach?” she tearfully murmured. “I just came to say hello and asked to see the baby. The next thing I knew, she was hitting me. I-I don't understand?"
"Hush, now.” He pushed back her hair and gently spoke to her. “What did you say to Kathy?"
"Nothing,” she brokenly whispered. “I just tried to talk to her and she attacked. Y-you know if I'd gone there to hurt her, she'd never have been able to do this to me. I was caught off-guard. I d-didn't expect anything like...” She stopped, moaned loudly and placed her hands over her abdomen. “It hurts, Tearach. It really hurts."
"There, there, Mabb. It's all right now,” he comforted. “You'll heal. As to Kathy, there must have been some misunderstanding. I'll talk to her and we'll work it out, all right?"
"I don't understand why she hates me.” She cried harder and turned on her side, groaning as she did so.
Tearach sat with her until she slept. His mind couldn't fathom what had happened. Surely, Kathy wouldn't just swing blindly at someone without provocation. The woman he loved had never exhibited such lack of control. But Mabb had a point. There was no way Kathy could have beaten her so thoroughly without taking Mabb by surprise. The door swung open and he looked up to see Shayla quietly walking toward the bed.
"How is she?” Shayla asked.
"She'll be all right, but it'll take some time for these injuries to heal."
"What did she tell you about the fight?'
Tearach didn't want to relay it. He was silent for several moments until the Sorceress sat down and fixed her silver gaze on him.
"Out with it, man."
"She said she came to visit Kathy and the baby and that Kathy attacked her."
"Just like that? No provocation? I find that hard to believe."
"So do I."
"Did you see any part of the fight?” Shayla asked as she stared down at the beaten woman.
"Some guards in the forest heard the commotion in my cottage. They summoned me. When Rome and I got there..."
"Go on,” Shayla urged.
He took a deep breath. “Kathy was pummeling Mabb as if she wanted to murder her. I had to pull her off."
"And Kathy wasn't injured?"
"She says she's fine. I couldn't see a mark on her."
"Well, I'm sure there's more to the story. Go home. See if you can get Kathy to talk about this. It's not good to bottle up
these kinds of feelings."
He nodded. “Tell Mabb I'll be back when she's feeling better."
Tearach left the room and hurried back to the cottage. The lights were on. Not that he'd expected Kathy to have gone to sleep. When he would have gone inside, Clove and her two children were waiting by the front fence and stopped him.
"Is Kathy all right?” Clove glanced at the upstairs light and back to Tearach. “We heard what happened."
"She's fine, Clove. Thank you for asking."
"It's just such a horrible thing to have happened. We saw her earlier tonight. The children wanted to see the baby."
"Was Kathy anxious for any reason? Did she seem upset at all?"
"Well, she did look a bit spooked when she came to the door, but that didn't last long. I gather she wasn't expecting someone to come calling so late. I forget she isn't used to all our ways."
"Did you happen to see Mabb?"
"Yes. She was on the path to the cottage. We passed her a short time after leaving Kathy."
Tearach took a deep breath. He hated to ask these questions, but the Sorceress punished people harshly for fighting. He remembered his well-deserved sentence for having done that very thing. “How was Mabb?"
"She was smiling and happy. Nothing seemed amiss. That's why this is all so disconcerting. Something terrible must have happened between Kathy and Mabb."
"Mabb said she was going to visit the baby, too,” Timmon chimed in. “Tearyn's a pretty baby."
Tearach ruffled the little boy's hair. He nodded at Clove, and then he walked inside the cottage. Cairna was in the kitchen making some tea.
"Is everything all right, honey?"
She nodded. “The baby's fine, but Kathy hasn't spoken a word. I think she's really furious. You might try talking to her, Uncle Tearach."
"I will. I just can't figure out why the fight started. Mabb says Kathy just attacked her."
Cairna gawked at him and rolled her eyes. “You don't believe that pig swill, do you?"
"It doesn't make any sense. But if Mabb came here to start something, I just don't see how Kathy got the drop on her. Mabb is too physically strong."
