Twice Upon a Soul

by Deborah R Stigall

  A soft smile playing across his face at the memories crossing his mind, Magnus cocked his head to one side as he reminisced aloud. “I was in the land of the dead…the resting place…summerland…’tis known by many names. You being a Christian…” He paused for Taylor’s nod of confirmation before he continued, “You being a Christian would know the place as Heaven…I believe.”

  “What was it like? Did you see God? Were there really angels?” Taylor pelted Magnus with questions like an inquisitive three year old unable to wait for the answers.

  “Slow down…lass,” Magnus pleaded, his gnarled hands raised as though to deflect her questions from attacking him. A far away look in his eyes, Magnus’ voice took on an almost reverent tone, as he attempted to answer her questions to enable her to understand. “The resting place is a very personal place…I believe it’s different for each person, depending upon what they have come to accept and know deep within their own hearts. The place where I was…was green and vibrant. The sky was blue, the birds always singing; the lambs healthy and strong in the field. The silkies would come up upon the shore, speak ta’ me and nuzzle the palms of my hands. There was no killing for food, for there was no hunger. There was no fighting for lands, for the rolling hills never ended. Anything a man ever wanted was there, peace and happiness abounded.”

  Magnus smiled a reassuring smile as he patted Taylor’s hand once more. “The Divine All was there as well. Though I dinna see the Creator…not as I look at yer own bonny face…I could feel the Divinity all around me, the powerful Spirit illuminated the entire land.” Almost whispering so that Taylor could barely hear him, Magnus gently wiped the fog from the window to watch the falling rain. “The angels were about the place, tending to the land and those of us sent there from our ended lives. They're nay the winged creatures ye see in yer wee books, though. They were actually much more like gardeners. After all, they are the caretakers for the Divine Creator’s works.”

  Enthralled by Magnus’ words, Taylor could only shake her head in amazement as she asked, “Magnus…why would you ever want to leave there?”

  His eyes dropping to the floorboard, Magnus frowned unhappily as he shook his head. “The dead are no’ entirely separated from the world from whence they came. We can still see those we care about…watch over the lands where we once lived.” As he raised his eyes to stare out the windshield, a teardrop escaped down the wrinkled cheek. Quickly brushing it away with his knobby hand, Magnus sniffed and cleared his throat. “I’d been in the place of the dead for at least two hundred years; when the fires blazed hot and the cries of the ravaged land reached me from the land of m’birth. ‘Twas bad enough that the earth was being scourged, ‘twas even worse when I learned it was m’own blood that was responsible.”

  “What did you do?” Taylor asked gently, pulling the car over to the side of the road and stopping. She was enrapt with Magnus’ story, mesmerized and giving it her full attention.

  Staring out the window, Magnus’ voice dropped to a low monotone. The memory of the choices he’d made so long ago, seeming almost like a fairy tale he’d once read rather then the memories of his own existence. “I cried out to the Furies to bring justice to m’land. I begged the Divine One to strike down this descendent from my line, stop him from his evil ways. The Furies came ta’ me and said ‘twas not my place ta’ judge…but if I felt so strongly, I must offer them a reasonable solution besides execution. In my anger at the raping of the land and the idiocy of m’great-great grandson, I vainly offered m’own resting place in eternity ta’ them, if they’d but stop the rogue from continuing his ways.” Turning to look Taylor straight in the eye, he frowned and narrowed his eyes. “The Furies took me at m’word…and set the world aright. For the execution of Magnus III and the relief of the scourging of the earth, m’soul will ne’er be permitted ta’ enter the land of the dead again.”

  “But that’s not fair,” Taylor sputtered, thumping the steering wheel with her fist. “You were only looking out for the land and stopping an arrogant fool. Why should you be punished for that?”

  Smiling sadly as he slowly puffed out his cheeks, Magnus thumped the floorboard with his cane. “’Twas no’ my place to second guess the Furies or the Divine All…I had no right ta’ tell them what should be…I was punished for m’own arrogance and face it, lass…a deal is a deal.”

  Stunned into silence, Taylor shifted the car back into gear and turned to head back to Callanish. After hearing Magnus’ story, she was sorry she’d ever asked, his fate seemed to darken the day. Thinking of Quinlan’s situation, Taylor glanced at Magnus as she asked, “Is that why Quinlan’s forbidden to leave wherever he is? Will I be able to bring him back to this world…or is he trapped beyond the gateway forever? Did he anger the Furies or God as well?”

  Clearing his throat as he glanced out the rain-spattered window, Magnus chose his words carefully. “Quinlan’s tale is quite different, although the Furies and the Goddess Brighid have had quite an active part,” Magnus replied. “The first thing ye must understand is that Quinlan is not nor ever has been dead.” Magnus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and pulled at the lap belt to accommodate the movement. “Quinlan rescued ye from the Auld Ones…the Druids that worshiped the dark ways. They felt that since ye’d been left ta’ them as a babe...the Ancient Powers would wish ye to be raised and then sacrificed. Virgin blood is verra powerful, ye know…especially from one so gifted and from another dimension of existence.”

  At Taylor’s widened eyes, Magnus hastily continued, wondering how much of the past he should tell her. “But when the pagans stole ye and placed their curse upon the lad, his love for ye was so strong that it called out ta’ the winds…alerting the Furies where they slept, enraging them against the priests. They swept ye away from the Druids, scattering their bodies with fire from the sky. Then they placed ye in the abyss, and worked with the Divine Brighid ta’ heal yer soul, fragmented from the shattering blast. ‘Tis only since yer current life began, that yer soul was healed enough to reincarnate.”

  “Why didn’t they rescue Quinlan and put us here together?” Taylor asked, reasoning to herself that, that plan would’ve been so much simpler.

  A wry smile curling his mouth to one side, Magnus turned to wink at Taylor. “The Furies are wise…they’re also just…but above all, they have the need ta’ be amused. The struggle of man through the centuries is usually enough to keep them busy. But they couldna’ resist the opportunity when they happened upon the possibilities that your and Quinlan’s lives supplied.”

  The stones of Callanish were looming on the horizon. Magnus and Taylor’s conversation making the drive seem as though it had only lasted moments. Taylor turned once again up the narrow off-road leading to Callanish II and stopped beside the footpath leading up to the gate. Turning to Magnus, she frowned as she replied, “In other words, Quinlan and I are just pawns…amusing entertainment for celestial beings bored with their day job.”

  Wagging his crooked finger as he shook his head quickly, Magnus retorted, “Ye must not be so disrespectful. The Furies have been good ta’ ye…saving yer life as well as Quinlan’s. Ye must consider it a gift, a blessing ta’ be given the opportunity for a second chance.”

  As Taylor’s eyes rested on the vague outline of the stones through the rain swept windshield, she wrinkled her brow in doubt. “I don’t know Magnus…my life wasn’t so bad before I began this wild goose chase.”

  “I wouldna’ consider not so bad a satisfactory description of the sort of life I would choose to live,” Magnus noted wryly as he pushed open the car door. Pulling the woolen plaid back over his head to shield him from the rain, he bent to stare intently at Taylor as he gave her his last bit of advice. “Dinna go ta’ the stones until the Feast of Samhain. ‘Tis far too dangerous for one such as yourself ta’ be near the gateway when ‘tis so close ta’ being opened fully.” With those words, Magnus stood and stepped back to close the door.

  “Magnus…wait!” Taylor shouted in time
to stop him before the door had completely closed. “What do you mean one such as myself?”

  Frowning and shaking his head, Magnus stared through the rain once more, “I told ye lass, ye were given ta’ the Druids by the Furies, the Auld Ones…at the request of yer dying mother. Ye come from the enchanted lands…ye dinna come from here.” Not waiting for her to react or respond, Magnus slammed the car door shut. By the time Taylor had digested these words, once again, Magnus had disappeared.

  As she stared through the rain at the bone-chilling stones, Taylor realized something else. Magnus had never answered her questions completely. He’d quite smoothly sidestepped her question of whether she’d be permitted to return to this world with Quinlan.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Are ye quite sure ye dinna wish ta’ tell her the truth before she enters the cairn?” Magnus questioned his troubled friend, his voice heavy with concern. Pacing his way across the stony floor, he searched Quinlan’s face for an answer.

  “The Furies have forbidden me ta’ interfere…I canna tell her more then I already have.” Quinlan stared unblinking into the flickering flames of the hearth, avoiding Magnus’ piercing gaze.

  “Aye…that’s so. But they've nay forbidden me of such a thing. Ye know I could warn her for ye,” Magnus reasoned, gently attempting to force Quinlan into revealing the truth to Taylor.

  Narrowing his eyes in a threatening glare, Quinlan turned to stare at Magnus. “I know what yer up ta’, auld man…and ye will refrain from telling the lass what ye know. I’ve waited too long and come too close ta’ getting her back ta’ risk losing her now.”

  Gently tapping his pipe upon the hearthstone, Magnus emptied the bowl of its firmly encrusted contents. Pulling a pouch from the interior of his tunic, he frowned as he refilled the pipe, tightly packing in the tobacco with his thumb. “Ye dinna think the lass will be angry with ye when she finds she can never leave?” Glancing up from his tobacco pouch, he met the icy glare of his friend.

  Quinlan rose from his seat at the hearth to pace restlessly across the stone floor. “Aye…she’ll be angry. I’m sure she’ll fuss and cry a bit. But once her memories return ta’ her, once she settles in, she’ll understand why I didna’ tell her and then we can continue our lives together.”

  Shaking his head slowly, Magnus placed the pouch back within his shirt. Retrieving a dried rush from the floor, he held it to the flames until it was lit. Bringing the burning piece of straw to the bowl of the pipe, Magnus frowned as he puffed and finally lit the tobacco. “I hope ye’re not making a grievous mistake lad. She doesna’ strike me as one who takes kindly to lying or deception. Times have changed greatly in the world that’s she’s in…this place is verra different from anything she knows.”

  “We’re not lying,” Quinlan interrupted hotly, refusing to face the truth. Returning to the hearth, he stared down into Magnus’ worried face.

  “Aye…then what would ye call it?” Magnus drolly asked, tossing the used rush into the burning flames.

  “We’re not the only ones aware of the truth,” Quinlan defended lamely. “Mattie’s friend Drake knows Taylor will never return. I dinna see him rushing to enlighten his friends.” Quinlan had seen Drake in the reflecting pool, watched him closely as he traveled with the two women. Descended from the Druids that had robbed him so long ago, Quinlan didn’t trust Drake and feared for Taylor. He’d seen Drake finally dig out the truth, among the dusty tombs in a forgotten corner of the library. He’d noticed the predatory glint in Drake’s eyes as he’d stumbled upon Taylor’s unknown ancestry.

  Wearily shaking his head as he unconsciously puffed on his pipe; Magnus sighed deeply with concern. “Aye…that one worries me. I dinna like the way he behaves towards little Mattie.”

  “Little Mattie?” Quinlan repeated with amused interest. “Just how much have ye been watching over Taylor and her friend?”

  Shaking an accusing finger in the direction of Quinlan’s face, Magnus’ face slightly reddened as he glared at Quinlan. “I’ve merely been doing as ye asked…watching and tryin’ ta’ intercede when it wasna’ safe. Ye know as well as I, Taylor could’ve happened through the gateway today and become lost in another world.”

  Patting Magnus’ shoulder apologetically, Quinlan returned to his seat at the hearth. “I know…and for that I’m grateful. Ye just seemed ta’ grow a bit soft around the mouth when ye spoke wee Mattie’s name.”

  “She’s special,” Magnus defended quietly, thinking of Taylor’s dark-haired friend. “She’s vulnerable as well. I’ve been watchin’ her closely …along with your lass. Once Taylor has returned ta’ ye….she’ll be all alone…and misunderstood in that world of hers.”

  The two fell silent sitting side by side as they stared into the crackling fire. Each man lost within his own thoughts, each man dreaming of a woman in a faraway place and what would have to be done to protect her.

  ~*~

  October 31st…Halloween…the Feast of Samhain. As Taylor lay staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom, she irrationally wondered if she could stop the evening from arriving by merely refusing to get out of bed. A sharp rap on her bedroom door announced Mattie’s arrival but Taylor remained in the same position, staring at the ceiling with her hands clasped behind her head.

  “Taylor…are you sick or something?” Mattie asked with concern. “It’s nearly ten o’ clock…you never sleep this late.” Plopping on the bed beside her friend, Mattie laid a motherly hand to Taylor’s forehead checking for fever or chills.

  Not bothering to tear her gaze away from the speck she’d been studying on the ceiling, Taylor pursed her lips thoughtfully, as she shifted deeper into the pillows. “I am not sick…I’m just going to keep tonight from happening by never getting out of bed.”

  Her mouth dropping open in disbelief, Mattie grabbed one of Taylor’s arms and began dragging her from beneath the covers. “Taylor, you’re acting like a child…that old bit didn’t work when we were in college and it’s not going to work now either.”

  Taylor groaned in displeasure as Mattie continued to pester her until she finally got up. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Taylor glared at Mattie in aggravation. Smiling her approval, Mattie ignored Taylor’s insolent stare as she rooted through the closet in search for something for Taylor to wear.

  “Don’t you and Drake have something you could do today besides aggravate me?” Taylor snapped, as she caught the sweater Mattie threw at her before it landed on her head.

  Pulling a pair of jeans from the hanger, Mattie finally emerged from the closet. “Taylor, today of all days, Drake and I are going to be with you. Stop being so negative and enjoy this opportunity for what it truly is.” Tossing the jeans onto the bed beside Taylor, Mattie dug a pair of heavy wool socks from the confines of the drawer. Dropping to her knees to flip up the dust ruffle surrounding the bed, Mattie’s voice was muffled as she continued. “All of these things that have been happening to you are frightening, I know. But how many people have this kind of excitement in their lives?…Well…for the love of the Goddess! Where did you leave your other boot?”

  “It’s over there under the chair,” Taylor replied glumly, pointing to the elusive hiking boot lying on its side. Shuffling into the bathroom, Taylor filled the sink with water as she brushed the snarls from her hair. Raising her voice to be heard over the running water, she glumly stared at her reflection in the mirror. “But Mattie…I don’t know what’s going to happen when I try to cross through that gate...what if this is all just a load of bunk…some sort of insanity brought on by too much stress?” Filling her toothbrush with toothpaste, Taylor shook her head. “And I don’t know that much about Quinlan, let alone whether or not he’s actually real…How do I know if he’s even a decent person?” “Or if he even really exists,” she added silently to herself.

  Appearing in the bathroom doorway, Mattie leaned against the door facing, making eye contact with Taylor’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Taylor…you may not know
him, but you said yourself that you feel drawn to him…didn’t you? And how could all of this be just a result of stress? I saw Quinlan in the scrying mirror.”

  “Well…I don’t know,” Taylor mumbled as she washed and dried her face. “Yes…I guess I feel drawn to him; but feeling an attraction to somebody and then jumping into an entirely different world….that’s two pretty different things…don’t you think?” “I can’t even believe I’m talking like this,” she thought in amazement to herself.

  Staring somberly at her friend’s reflection, Mattie frowned as she bit her lip. “Taylor, I can’t tell you what you should do here. If you don’t feel like you can go through with it, then we’ll just catch a flight back home. But before you give up, you better ask yourself if that’s really what you want to do. You could end up regretting a missed opportunity the rest of your life. But no matter what…I’ll support you…you know that.” Giving Taylor’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze, Mattie affectionately pulled a lock of hair as she said, “Now get dressed, Drake’s whipped up a fantastic brunch and it’s getting cold while we speak.”

  As Mattie left the bathroom, Taylor glanced at her watch, ten-thirty…the day was almost half gone. Drake and Mattie had visited Callanish II several times, to study the stones and make some calculations. From what Taylor had seen in the pictures at the library; they needed to figure out at exactly what time the setting sun would fill the cairn with light. Shrewdly following Magnus’ advice, Taylor had abstained from joining Mattie and Drake on these data collecting trips. Instead, she had driven around the countryside trying to occupy her mind with the rugged beauty of the land.

  After several days of patiently watching and waiting, Drake and Mattie had finally settled on an approximate time that the cairn would be fully lit. To the best of their calculations, allowing for the movement of the sun and the earth, the sun would shine across the top of the center stone and alight the cairn at approximately 5:33 p.m. on the eve of October 31st.