Seconds later, the sound of swords clashing ripped them from bliss.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“STAY HERE, JULIE,” he ordered, but naturally, she pursued him, muttering, “Like hell, I will!”
By the time he made it outside, two Sassenach lay slain, and Aidan fought three more.
“Get back inside,” he roared into Julie’s mind, racing into the fray while simultaneously chanting. Thankfully, his magic downed at least one man, who fell to his knees, gripping his throat as Tiernan’s magic strangled him.
That left two.
His cousin crossed blades with one and Tiernan the other, twirling away when the blade swung inches from his face. He spun, ready to counterattack, but magic pulsed out from Julie’s ring and flung the man through the air into a tree. Before the warrior slid to the ground, he whipped a dagger and finished him off. Meanwhile, Aidan sliced his blade across his opponent’s calf, then spun and drove his sword up under his ribs into his heart.
“Bloody hell,” Aidan muttered, wiping away a bit of blood from his lips. “One of them got in a good punch before I downed him.”
“I dinnae think I’ve ever seen you bleed,” Tiernan commented. His cousin was a more talented fighter than most and prided himself on finishing his enemies off before they so much as nicked him.
Tiernan headed for Julie and looked her over. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She cocked her brow, clearly frustrated that he thought to leave her behind yet relieved he was okay. “Your heart might’ve been in the right place, sweetie, but if I were you, I’d keep your Guardian Witch close.” She shook her head. “Not order her to stay behind.”
“’Twill take some getting used to,” he grumbled then brushed his lips across hers because he couldn’t help himself. “But I will try.”
“Good.” Genuine concern lit her eyes, and she shook her head. “Because I fear for your safety just as much as you do mine.”
“Bloody bastard,” Aidan muttered, interrupting their conversation. He pulled weapons off the man who had evidently got in the punch. “To hell with ye.”
“What happened?” Tiernan asked. “Where did the men come from?”
“’Twas a band split off from the main one we saw.” Aidan tossed aside more stolen weapons. As much as they could comfortably carry. “Out to hunt, I’d say, so ‘tis only a matter of time before the others realize they arenae coming back.” He shook his head. “I only meant to grab one, but the rest saw.” He gestured absently in a random direction. “I left one alive to question.”
“First, ye’ve been bloodied.” He frowned at Aidan, surprised yet again. “Then seen by the enemy when trying to be stealthy?” He shook his head. “’Tis not like you.”
“Nay, ‘tis not,” Aidan agreed, troubled. “My fluctuating magic is affecting my instincts. My skills as a warrior.”
Tiernan knew better than to console him. His cousin had always taken a great deal of pride in his battle skills. Like all things he set his mind to, he’d devoted countless hours fine-tuning his abilities, convinced they would only complement and enhance his powers as a wizard.
Regrettably, it appeared to work both ways.
As it happened, the Sassenach soldier they dragged into the cave to question turned out to be traveling with Balliol and his nobles. So he and Julie's magic had led them in the right direction. Or so they assumed because, according to the man, the year was thirteen thirty-two, and that was relevant.
“So, not all that long after we left David then?” Julie asked after they finished questioning the man.
“Nay.” Aidan met Tiernan’s eyes. “’Tis the following summer.” He shook his head. “Not a good year for our regent.”
When Julie looked between them, Tiernan explained.
“Thomas dies this year, lass,” he revealed. “Not all that far from this verra location.”
“Is David still with him?” She frowned. “He is, right?”
“History is a wee bit fuzzy on that part,” Tiernan replied. “Even da and Grant have had issues figuring out exactly what took place.”
“Which we can assume has to do with the Disinherited,” she said.
“’Twould be my guess,” he replied. “Either way, we must return to Thomas and David and remain close to the king. David must survive.”
“And Thomas must die,” she said softly. “In accordance with history.”
“I’m afraid so.” He tucked blades here and there on his person. “If he doesnae then things might not go as they should.”
“They might go better,” she countered.
“’Tis unlikely, lass,” Aidan said, strapping on weapons as well. “Especially with dark magic at work.”
“Dark magic that has found its way to the twenty-first century,” Tiernan added. “Which means not only trouble for Scotland but...”
He trailed off when a strange sensation washed over him.
“But trouble for us too,” Julie said, startled as she seemingly sensed the same thing he did. “Or should I say the MacLomain-Broun connection.” She frowned at him. “What is this, Tiernan? What am I suddenly feeling?”
“Far more trouble than we anticipated,” he murmured, exploring the sensation, the growing certainty. “This is not all about wee David or the Sassenach ruling Scotland but the root of what has saved this country several times over now. That which has kept its history on track.”
“Adlin and Iosbail,” Julie whispered, exploring the feeling alongside him, understanding more by the moment as her ring ignited. “But of course, it goes back that far.”
They weren’t talking about his father in this life but the previous. Iosbail had been his foster sister in Ireland and had traveled to Scotland, where she too became immortal, traveling from place to place until she settled in East Lothian.
Until she began the Broun clan.
“That’s why we were at the stones in Ireland where da was conceived in that life,” Tiernan said. “It went back that far.”
“What went back that far?” Aidan asked.
“Injustice,” Julie whispered, sensing the darkness that pursued them. Moreover, its possible motive. “Power that should have been theirs...”
“A country that should have been theirs,” Tiernan continued, sensing the darkness as well. “The beginning of a verra long vengeance.”
“Vengeance born of them being denied,” she whispered. “By those who protected...by Guardian Witches.” Her eyes sparked with the same light as her ring. “By me and mine.” Her voice changed a little, echoing in a way that wasn’t quite natural in a cave. “Ready to stand guard once more in the face of fury. In the face of pretenders. Ready to sacrifice to save...”
Whether it was her magic or more, whatever gripped Julie vanished, and she fell to her knees. Fearful, he went to scoop her up, but she shook her head and closed her eyes. “I’m okay.” She hung her head. “Just give me a sec.”
“What happened?” He crouched in front of her. “What did you just experience?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she whispered, still gathering herself. “I felt like I was here, but not here.” She shook her head again. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”
“Were you still in your body?”
“Yes,” she said softly before she lifted her head and met his eyes. For a split second, he saw what she’d seen in his eyes when he was an infant. Magic mixed with the design on his shoulder.
Then he felt what she had just felt.
It was almost as though her very soul rushed into him, then bounced back into her body. Then loving warmth poured over him, followed by a fierce need to protect. One, amazingly enough, that far outdid his already overprotective nature.
“It’s them,” she whispered. “My ancestors...trying to protect your ancestors.”
“Aye,” he murmured. “Back then and now.”
“Happening all at once,” she whispered, awed. “Just like your magic saved me when I was stabbed. Magic f
rom the past protecting those in the present. Time folding in on itself giving protective magic the ability to be in two places at once. Giving a single moment the ability to be in two places at once across time.”
He was about to add to that, sensing something important, but the fact got away from him before he could voice it. The same thing evidently happened to her because Julie blinked and shook her head. “No, no, no, I almost had it.”
“Had what?” Aidan asked as Tiernan helped her to her feet.
“How they’re doing it,” she murmured. “What my ancestors are trying to tell me.”
“Mayhap ‘twas all we were supposed to know for now,” Tiernan theorized.
“Like dishing out small bits of information at a time to time-travelers.” Julie nodded. “You were right.”
“So these warrior monks—”
“Disinherited,” Julie corrected Aidan.
“The Disinherited,” Aidan conceded, going on, “were specifically targeting MacLomains and Brouns before the connection ever even formed betwixt our two clans?”
“MacLomains to be sure,” Tiernan said.
“Brouns too.” Julie narrowed her eyes. “Just in a different way...for a different purpose.”
“What other way could there be than to cease the MacLomain-Broun connection before it has a chance to begin?” Aidan asked. “Do that, and everything that took place over the generations with our kin ceases to exist.” His eyes widened a little. “We cease to exist.”
“Not Julie, though,” Tiernan murmured, still trying to grasp what he nearly knew. “She is the one constant in all this.” He shook his head. “Even if they destroyed the MacLomains and Brouns at their source, she would still exist.”
Or would she if Tiernan didn't? Would she have existed without he who she protected?
“This is crazy,” she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “How am I supposed to fix this when I only get answers in magical bursts of recollection here and there?” Her tired eyes met his. “How am I supposed to save you?” A frown settled on her face. “All of you?”
“With my help.” He embraced her, trying to offer comfort. “You need to remember, you’re not alone in this, lass. I will always be there with you.”
“As will we all if ‘tis in our power,” Aidan added. “Not only that, but ‘tis always best to keep in mind you will get more answers when the time is right.” He shook his head. “Dinnae doubt that, lass.”
“I wish the time were right now,” she murmured, resting her cheek against Tiernan’s chest. “If I had the answers up front, it would be so much easier.”
“Not necessarily.” He stroked her hair. “’Tis hard to know where too much knowledge might lead you. ‘Twas done much like this when I helped my Viking ancestors on their quest and ‘twas verra much for the best. Time was needed by all to adjust to what had changed. To accept revelations that might have been too much to handle otherwise.”
“I hope you’re right.” She met his eyes again, her gaze a little off. Just like that, her voice was another’s and leaden with what he realized was Disinherited possession. “But even if ye are right ‘tis too late, wizard. Yer pledge was tested, and ye failed. Now ‘tis just a matter of time...”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I SAID WHAT?” she exclaimed. “Seriously?”
“Aye,” Aidan confirmed as they made their way into the woodland a short time later. “’Twas all about a pledge made.”
“One not seen through.” She considered Tiernan. “I know I said it to you, but I get the feeling it was directed at us both. After all, I was supposed to stay in the future to keep an eye on things, and you were supposed to hook up with a Broun to protect your country.”
“Which we’ve established, I’m doing by being with you.” He took her hand as they walked. “’Twas but a message designed to spook us.” He scowled. “Hopefully, ‘twill not happen again.” He shook his head. “I dinnae like the Disinherited anywhere near your mind.”
“Agreed.” She sighed. “So, you think they’re just trying to psyche us out?”
“I think that’s exactly what they attempted to do,” he replied. “The more pressing concern, however, is how they got inside your mind to do so.”
“My guess is they somehow slipped in alongside my ancestral message,” she said. “If they’ve found a way to morph the magic from the stones,” she tossed him a pointed look of reminder, “stones I’m connected to, then it makes sense they’d be able to slip through when my ancestors are utilizing that magic.” She squeezed his hand in reassurance. “The bad guys are gone from my mind now, though. Something you know for certain because you’re inside my head far more than they could ever be.”
“Aye.” Yet his troubled expression remained. “’Tis odd that in possessing you, they didnae possess me.”
“Not that odd, really. Not if they were specifically channeling through the Guardian Witch magic.” She shook her head. “We might be merging, but your magic is still yours, and mine’s still mine.” She shrugged. “I just need to learn to control my magic...understand it better.”
“Aye,” Aidan kicked in. “’Tis likely nothing will be able to get inside you after that because your ancestors’ magic will finally be your own.”
“It will, won’t it?” She stopped short and nodded at Aidan. “That’s it.” A sense of certainty came over her, and she looked at Tiernan. “That’s what it’s been all along. My ancestors protecting me from a memory. Better yet whatever my ancestors did to piss off the Disinherited so much, combined with the magic of the past blending with our magic now.”
“’Tis all part of your magic sparking,” he murmured, sensing it too. “Their magic is streaming through your ring, a natural conduit for MacLomain magic. Protecting you until you can protect yourself.”
“Yet, all the while allowing me to protect you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Which answers a lot but not nearly enough. How am I supposed to seal off the Calanais Stones from the Disinherited? How am I supposed to—”
“You’re not supposed to do anything until you know more,” Aidan interrupted. “’Twill drive you mad speculating whilst waiting for more truth to be revealed to you.”
“Well, that sucks.” She scowled and shook her head as they continued on. “It’s a damn unsettling feeling not knowing what’s next. Not knowing what I’m supposed to do.”
“You’re supposed to follow the path you’re on, Jules,” Tiernan said. “To my way of thinking, the fact that the Disinherited felt the need to psyche us out means we’re heading in the right direction. That we’re truly becoming a threat to whatever their master plan is.”
“Good point.” She gestured at his shoulder. “That in mind, maybe it’s time to check your tat again and make sure we’re still walking in the direction it showed us in the cave.”
“Aye, ‘tis still pointing north,” Tiernan confirmed. Moments later, he squinted through the trees. “’Tis on track indeed.”
“Where are we,” she began only to trail off when something loomed out of the woodland. She sped up a little. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Slow down, lass.” Tiernan caught up with her. “Dinnae rush into anything here. Remember that our allies dinnae know if we’re friend or foe.”
“Right, sorry.” She slowed, peering through the trees in awe as they drew closer. “Though it looks a little different, that’s Edinburgh Castle, isn’t it?”
“’Tis.” Tiernan smiled. “Where I imagine we will find wee David.”
“There are Scottish soldiers ahead.” Aidan glanced at Tiernan. “You stay here. I’ll—”
“Nay, not with your magic so off.” He shook his head. “We go on together.”
“Aye, then.”
“We are friends of the rightful king, David II,” Tiernan called out when they were close enough that the soldiers could hear them. “We come with news for Regent Sir Thomas Randolph.”
As it turned out, they ran into very litt
le trouble when the men saw Tiernan’s tartan colors.
“So Thomas kept his men on alert for your return?” she asked.
They broke the wood line, and she finally saw the castle in all its glory. Its battlements stood tall against the setting sun. She had visited this castle in the twenty-first century, so it was pretty mind-blowing seeing it now. Gone were the tourists with their cell phone cameras. Instead, people in medieval clothing sold wares from carts, and well-armed men rode by on horses. The air smelled of torch smoke and a variety of other aromas, some more pungent than others.
The yellow and red lion rampant flag flew proudly, reminding her that Scotland's modern-day sky blue flag with its white saltire cross wouldn't come into existence until around fifteen thirteen. Not for another hundred and eighty-one years. It also reminded her that someday the English flag would fly one turret higher than the Scottish on this very castle.
“Aye, Thomas has kept an eye out for our return,” Tiernan said in answer to her question, pulling her from her reverie. He put a hand to the small of her back as they made their way through the crowd. “My parents and aunts and uncles had the same advantage with Sir William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce on their adventures.”
“Handy,” she murmured, enraptured by the fortress-like castle on the cliff as they approached. “Good to know Thomas is still around too and not...”
She trailed off, not particularly wanting to think about the man’s unfortunate future.
As they soon learned, the regent was well aware that Balliol’s men were gathering in the south to fight.
“By the bloody rood,” Thomas muttered a short time later, “he’s a pain in my arse.”
They strode down a hallway she hadn’t seen in the twenty-first century. But then parts of the castle had been knocked down several times over the centuries either in battle or intentionally to dissuade the enemy from desiring it.
“Him and the bloody nobles,” Thomas went on. “Traitorous countrymen, all!”
“What do ye intend to do?” Tiernan asked. They entered a dining area free of people where Thomas urged them to sit. “Stand yer ground here or go fight him?”
A Scot's Pledge (The MacLomain Series: End of an Era, #1) Page 15
