by LAURA HARNER
The Queen admired Kheelen’s inventiveness and the dimensions of his glamour, and a suitable punishment was already forming in her mind, as she continued to display his memories for all to see. It did not escape her notice that several other members of the Royal Court were also admiring his prowess as a lover. She would need to secure his services first, which was not a problem for one of her immense power. Perhaps she would leave him with enough life force to pleasure others. Perhaps not.
As his memories continued they saw the source of his anger, the rage that had driven a stake of jealousy into his Fae heart and demanded he repay the dishonor. Hundreds of years ago, long after the Queen had scattered the Druids, Rhyannan had begged off, foregoing one of their traditional trips, to travel elsewhere alone. He sensed excitement in her and knew she was anticipating another lover.
This was not uncommon, for after so many thousands of years it was difficult to maintain a binding alliance, and no Fae was truly interested in a permanent and monogamous relationship. Yet the two of them were compatible, and he knew she would return to him eventually, as he did to her after each of his dalliances.
Having guessed at the nature of her solitary journey, Kheelen followed her, thinking he might try to join her and her new lover for a time, after their initial excitement had waned. Perhaps he would bring a new partner as well, after all that was something he hadn’t tried in more than a millennium, and never with Rhyannan. It would be quite a novelty for them after all this time.
He traced her movements to a small rocky island shrouded in mist off the west coast of Scotia then returned to the island of Faery to give her some time to enjoy her new alliance. While he waited on Faery, he tried to guess who her new lover might be. Most likely it was someone she had been with before, as after so many millennia, their choices of other Fae had dwindled. Although he enjoyed humans occasionally, he understood why after experiencing his prowess, it would be nigh impossible for Rhyannan or any other female of their species to find pleasure with a mortal.
After what he deemed a reasonable time he returned to the misty island, mildly excited at the prospect of surprising her and her lover, and at the suggestion he would make. He located her only to discover she was lying with a human! A Druid no less, and she was seeking his pleasure and gifting him beyond measure.
Kheelen had been incensed, humiliated that she had taken a mortal lover. He left the island without revealing himself and sought solace in places he would have been better off avoiding.
When Rhyannan returned, she spoke not of her earthly lover, and she and Kheelen resumed their alliance, albeit more coolly than in the past. When little over another mortal year passed and Rhyannan disappeared again, Kheelen let her go without following this time. He waited, stoking his fury to a murderous rage before he looked for her. He did not need to search long before he found her, as he knew he would, once again with her mortal lover.
He was incredulous when he found she had not only returned to the Druid, but had borne him children, for as he spied on them, he saw two wee babes at her breasts. The show of emotion the Druid made to Rhyannan was revolting. Kheelen watched and waited until the babes had been returned to their bed, and her mortal was once again seated by her side. When he took her hand and raised it to his lips, Kheelen acted in an instant, lest Rhyannan catch a hint of his presence, as in reality, she was far more powerful than he.
Leaving the infants behind to die, he shifted Rhyannan and her mortal through a dozen times and dimensions, before depositing them in a cave on the island, one he had already prepared for the human alone.
Abruptly, the show in the middle of the courtyard stopped, as if the story was over. Kheelen’s memories appeared to end there. The others looked at each other in surprise, but the Queen smiled a brilliant smile that briefly dazzled those around her.
With an enormous force of power the Queen reached deeper into Kheelen’s mind and found another memory, one that had been carefully hidden with the aid of powerful, darker magick. Kheelen sagged against the invisible bonds that held him upright as the Queen laid bare the hidden memory for all to see. This memory was woven into those that they had already witnessed, a thread, tying the story together.
Shortly after he discovered Rhyannan and her Druid lover the first time, Kheelen had made two new acquaintances. They were members of the Unseelie Royal house, a Prince and Princess, and as lovers he had known none better. They seduced him with their dark arts, took him places he’d not dreamed existed, pleasured him as he pleasured mortals, leaving him forever changed.
They helped to prepare the cave that would hold the Druid, granting him immortal life, even while he would be confined forever in a cave above the sea. He would be free from mortal disease and needs. As ageless and immortal as Rhyannan, except locked away where she would never find him. Kheelen deliberately left the opening of the cave transparent so the Druid could see the outside that was forever lost to him, to understand the enormity of his transgression.
His Unseelie lovers were excited by the depths of his treachery, and the cave became a sanctuary where the three of them explored their darkest desires until it was time for Kheelen to return to Faery. Before leaving, and at his own request, they cast dark spells upon him to hide his memories of their time together, leaving him only enough that he could find them again, if he desired.
Before he had a chance to return to entomb the Druid, Rhyannan had returned a second time to her mortal lover, and Kheelen’s true vengeance was born. It was this vengeance that caused him to steal away both Rhyannan and her Druid lover.
Kheelen never intended to leave Rhyannan locked away forever. He thought a thousand years would be enough time for her to get her fill of the puny Druid, and then she would be amenable to returning to him. However, the human would be condemned to his prison for all of eternity. The price for a Druid stealing a Fae Princess was to be his own gift of immortal hell.
The members of the Royal Court were no longer bored, they all watched in breathless anticipation to see what the Queen would do with Kheelen.
****
They sat across from each other in the library. Alex had insisted she eat and drink before he began his story. Now he wanted to know whether she believed in fairy tales? Randi looked around the room. Heavy wooden furniture, a hearth tall enough to stand in, rush lamps, tapestries pulled back to reveal open windows through which she saw the stone walls of the castle, guards, horses—Randi shook her head. “There isn’t much I won’t believe anymore, Alexander, why don’t you try me,” she said. Her voice was weary.
“Aye, I believe you. Now ‘twill be your turn to see if you can believe me. I have not told this story to another soul. Forgive me if it is a bit disjointed, for all the parts are not known by me, and truth be told, even the parts I think I do know, may not be real.”
Randi’s eyebrows rose at that statement, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
“My first real memories are of the death of people I believed were my parents, when I was fifteen. I became the Laird, responsible for running all the MacLachlan estates and land. I had a brother, plus the ward that my father had been training, and the staff to manage. Quite a heady responsibility for a young man, even in these times.
“I knew Gabhran had already been accepted as an apprentice upon entering his sixteenth year, so when he became too difficult a few months early, I petitioned the Gailtry to take him early, and they did.”
“Who are the Gailtry?” Randi interrupted.
“They were a family that trained selected Druids. ‘Twas their duty to protect certain Druid artifacts and writings. They have recently reemerged, I understand, although for many years ‘twas thought they died out. ‘Tis not important to our story now, but once we are finished, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.
“After Gabhran and Ian left, ‘twas very quiet around here, and I thought for a time I would go mad. Then something happened that made me think I had gone mad. I was sitting in this very room
, tracking the accounts, when I heard a voice call my name. I thought at first ‘twas a child making mischief. ‘Twas exactly the type of stunt that Gav would have pulled.” Alexander smiled fondly at some memory. Shaking his head slightly, he continued, “I found something I had never seen before on yon table. I now know ‘twas a mirror, but at that time, the only mirrors I had seen were made of burnished metal.
“This mirror was nothing like those we had in the castle or anywhere else, for that matter. ‘Twas made of silver, with ornate carvings in a frame on a handle, and the center of the frame was a glass surface. I was sitting here, then I heard my name, and found this strange object on my table. ‘Tis no wonder I thought I was mad. It got much stranger, for when I looked at the mirror, there was a man staring back out at me, only ‘twas not my reflection, but another man altogether.”
He looked at her, a sheepish look on his face, making him appear strangely boyish, a hint of the young man he once had been. “Two days later, I worked up my nerves and entered the room again, and the same man was there, waiting for me and ordered me by name to sit down. ‘Twas a Druid compulsion spell he used on me, and I had no choice but to sit and listen to his story.
“He was a Master Druid, and it had been arranged, he said, that I was to be trained in Druid ways, but not with my brother, but in ways that were separate, in an attempt to protect the knowledge. Gav and I were not to speak of this with each other, and Gav was not going to be told of my training at all, even though I knew of his. This man was to be my trainer and I would call him Master. He would visit during times Gav was absent, and we could communicate at any time using the mirror.
“I wanted to protest, to stand and shout, to run, but the strength of his magick was powerful, even through the mirror. Before he released me, he told me one more thing, something that gave me pause. He said this training had been agreed to and arranged by my father. I took comfort from the fact that although he was no longer with me, my father had cared to make special arrangements.
“We trained together for years, mostly here, although occasionally I went to his castle for brief visits. All training effectively ceased whenever Gabhran returned home for holidays, however, those times became increasingly rare, as he oft elected to remain with the Gailtry.
“As we neared the end of my initial training phase, the Master began to speak of things such as time travel, typically subjects reserved for more experienced Druids. He was worried about a future in which Druidry had all but disappeared from Scotia, and warned that it was up to Gav and me to save the knowledge, to save all of Druidry, thereby saving all of world. For the world could be at great risk from the Tuatha Dé Danann if they ever thought all Druids were truly gone.
“Do you know the story of the Tuatha Dé Danann, lass?”
Randi nodded, spellbound by his story.
“Aye, so you may know that many millennia ago the Fae Queen Morrighan sought to break the ties between Druid and Fae, by scattering the Druids throughout the world, breaking apart families and alliances in her folly. Many of the Druid families simply ceased to exist over time, while others kept to the old ways, kept the traditions and sacred vows safe.
“The Master foretold that sometime in the future a family of Druid would emerge from one of those who lost their way. They would be dark and align themselves with the dark Tuatha Dé Danann, the Unseelie, in an effort to regain their powers. It was to fight this family that Gabhran and I were being trained. He knew not their name, for the time had not yet emerged, but he believed it was critical that the MacLachlan and MacGailtry be preserved and united in the future to prevent something so awful it might well destroy Scotia.
“I couldna understand how Gabhran and I were to help this future time, unless ‘twas to breed and raise more children to be trained as Druid. Nay, his plan was far more complicated and difficult for me. Gabhran was to be sent to future times, to live his life in ignorance of his Druid ways, until the dark Druids contacted him, for they would find him. The Master was positive the strength of Gav’s Druid powers would work like a beacon, drawing those with special magick to him.
“Once he knew the time of the betrayal was at hand, Gabhran would be returned to his full Druid powers, and others, if there were still others—” He paused for a long moment, his gaze was unfocused, as if he were seeing something in his head. He blinked rapidly, gave a small shake of his head. “Others would join him. I was to remain in this time, so someone could move Gabhran, someone who could keep him safe, and pull him back if necessary.”
Randi’s questions fought with each other, each trying to be asked first, “What about— how could—dimensions?”
Alex’s eyes sparkled for a minute, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Lass, I know you must be fair bursting with questions and I have more than a passing few for you, myself. Let me finish telling you the basic parts then we can begin again with our stories and answer questions as we speak.”
Randi mutely nodded her head, knowing there was really only one question she needed to know: Can you send me to Gabhran?
“The spell that the Master taught me in order to move Gabhran was very specific to our family, and had to be spoken within some standing stones on our estate. If one is not very careful with how the spell is spoken, or attempts to move someone else with it, the danger is significant. The other person could become trapped between dimensions.” His voice broke and his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Randi suspected he thought not of Gabhran, but of his beloved Alysone.
In a voice tight with grief, he continued, “I moved Alysone to another place in this time to protect her from me, because I deemed her too young. When she returned, I could no longer deny what we felt for each other, yet I feared for her safety while we waited to locate the dark Druid family. We kept our relationship secret, although if what you say is true, if she was to bear my child, we would not have kept it secret any longer. If those we must fight discovered me in this time, anyone for whom I cared would be in mortal danger.
“‘Twas one reason I moved Gabhran so often rather than return him here periodically. I needed to appear isolated in case the dark Druids were also able to travel through time and sought to harm me. So when I returned last evening from my journey, I cast a spell to scry my brother and was stunned to find him here, in this time, lying in his bed. I immediately spoke the spell to send him to the place he needed to be, and as the final words were spoken, Alysone came into view and was touching him in his bed.
“The spell had been spoken and before my eyes, Gabhran and Alysone were gone. Gabhran has surely gone to his most recent reality, but Alysone—”
His voice choked off, and he turned away. He didn’t have to voice his worst fears, Randi understood. He was afraid that his Alysone was lost forever.
****
The Queen was both fascinated and repelled by the emotions that roiled within Kheelen. He had been typical of their race before he discovered Rhyannan lying with a mortal lover. Then he had been visited by Unseelie, tainted, befouled. The Seelie were not incapable of dark emotions, yet typically they avoided cruelty, and a vengeful death was meted out swiftly, keeping honor in balance. He had not upheld the Seelie code of honor, and death was the prescribed punishment.
Yet her hand was stilled by an insidious thought, one she knew she should put aside, one that caused the first ripple of excitement in her breast in thousands of years. She would keep Kheelen as her own, he would be bound to her side until she had her fill of him, until she extracted every bit taught by the Unseelie, until he was lost forever. Then he would die a soulless death.
Chapter Thirty-four
Elena walked through the farmhouse opening shutters and then the windows, letting in sunshine and fresh air, while Faolan carried in their luggage and supplies. She stopped at the large window in her favorite room, the library. Standing with her hands on the sill, she looked out at the rolling fields that led to a copse of trees and rocky outcroppings. It was good to be home, but there was a palpable
tension between them. She thought she knew what it was about and wondered if they would ever completely trust each other again.
She and Faolan had only recently reunited, and the boat trip they’d interrupted to come here had been more than a honeymoon. It had been an opportunity for them to heal, both physically and emotionally. In the middle of their belated honeymoon, Elena had begun to dream of another man, a man she barely knew, a man who had saved her life…Gabhran.
The Druid Master of the Bresal Etarlam, Martin Worthington, was minutes away from killing her as part of a ritual sacrifice, when Gav risked his own life to save hers, even though they were mere acquaintances. In the chaos of the escape, Elena had been shot and Gabhran had been possessed by a dark spirit. From that moment on, her life had been a living hell, and she’d believed she’d lost everything. She and Faolan had been kept apart through the lies and machinations of the dark Druid Master. Elena had lived here at her beloved farm alone for months, believing she had lost everything, had lost her reason for living. When she allowed herself to think of it, it still hurt beyond measure that Faolan had believed the lies. Dear God, they had lost so much.
Deep in thought, Elena didn’t hear him approach, until Faolan snaked a massive brown arm around her waist, and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She leaned back with a sigh, wondering if their lives would ever be simple. Not likely.
“Lass, doona be sad. ‘Tis true, we have lost much, however, we also have gained much in return. We willna be separated again. Doona forget, we are destined to love for all eternity.”
Faolan kept one arm around her waist while he cupped her chin with his large hand, and angled their faces in such a fashion that he was able to easily reach her lips and he kissed her gently. Softly, almost hesitantly he kissed her again, as if he was testing the reception he would receive. His firm lips rubbed against hers, back and forth, creating an irresistible friction.
