Beyond A Highland Whisper (29 page)

Nessa stepped over his outstretched legs, never taking her eyes from him as she eased toward the opened door. Did something just move? Surely, it was just a death twitch. Holding her breath, Nessa peered closer, a peculiar chill gripping her body. Inky fog circled and rose out of the center of Gabriel’s chest. Hypnotized by the strange, curling black mist, Nessa wondered if Gabriel’s wicked soul sought escape to the other side. But as she stood frozen in horrified fascination, the mist rose and grew until it formed a column just a little taller than Nessa.

Swirling and roiling, the heavy mist swelled and receded until it sculpted itself into the voluptuous shape of a curvaceous woman.

“Surely ye didna think I would ever allow Latharn to find happiness when he refused to give contentment to me?” Bloodred lips curved into a malicious smile, the mysterious woman smoothed her ebony hair away from her face. “I was positive once the fool’s mother took her life, the madness would have him begging me to save his soul. Had he done that, I would have brought ye back through time to release him from the bauble. I might have even let ye live in the past with some sheep herder or some other smelly Highlander of your own.” With a wicked laugh, the seductress added, “Contrary to what ye might have heard, there have been times when Deardha has been merciful.”

Smoothing her hands down her waspish waist, she drummed her ivory fingertips atop her generous hips. Her pouting lips pulled into a venomous sneer as Deardha eyed Nessa up and down. “The man must be insane to think himself in love with a little chit such as you. Do ye think perhaps he’s gone blind from his isolation? Perhaps I left him to the crystal too long. Some of my other pets lost their sight while in captivity.” She stopped as if pondering a great mystery. “Some of them even withered and died.”

Nessa returned the witch’s glare, her body shaking with rage. So she was the one. This bitch was the source of Latharn’s pain. Nessa clenched her fists at her sides. She wasn’t giving Latharn up without a fight. She didn’t care what kind of powers this so-called sorceress possessed. She’d had enough of this twisted fairy tale. Nessa was tired, cold, sore, and hungry and she wasn’t taking any more of this crap. “I think his eyesight is absolutely perfect. After all, he saw you for what you really are.”

Her heart pounded as her nails dug into her palms. Nessa felt no fear, just pure, unadulterated fury pounding through her veins. She knew there was no way this woman was going to kill her. After all, Deardha needed bait for her trap.

Deardha moved closer. Her form grew and shifted until she towered over Nessa’s tiny frame. “Ye would be well advised to fear me, little girl. I can send ye to a plane of existence so terrible, your worst nightmares would be a welcomed escape.”

Nessa remembered what Aveline had told her about Latharn’s protection and decided to put it to the test. If she was going to strike, the time was now while the element of surprise was on her side.

Nessa whirled with her favorite kickboxing move and her foot connected with Deardha’s jaw. Caught off guard by the force of the impact to her face, Deardha fell hard against the stone wall. As Deardha rubbed her already purpling chin, she rebounded up from the floor. Her eyes glowed with the fury of an enraged beast focusing on its prey. A blue-white fireball appeared, swirling in her trembling hand. Her eyes narrowed as she took aim. The sorceress screeched with the wail of a banshee as she lobbed the fireball at Nessa’s head.

Nessa dropped to the floor, dodging the explosive missile. She rose and shifted her center of balance from foot to foot. Nessa moved in and landed another blow. She might not have magic, but by the frustration on Deardha’s face, her courage was a force the
bana-buidhseach
hadn’t expected.

Another fireball whizzed by her head, so close the room filled with the acrid scent of Nessa’s scorched hair. Nessa grabbed the flaming candles and lobbed them at Deardha’s head. Hot tallow splattered across the crone’s ivory skin. Nessa didn’t know how long they were going to keep up this dance. All she knew was she wasn’t going to be the one to go cowering into the corner.

“I’m going to kill ye and go after Latharn m’self. I’ve had enough of this insolence.” Deardha rushed at Nessa, her claw-like hands outstretched, features reverting to those of an eon-shriveled creature. As she tried settling her talons into Nessa’s neck, a powerful energy field lifted her off the ground and crashed her against the wall.

As her beady eyes widened in disbelief, the crone’s snaggled teeth lengthened into snarling fangs. The witch’s face transformed into a hideous beast of rage, her form more repulsive as her fury grew. “This canna be possible. He canna have grown so strong. He was never a master of the Ways.”

Breathing hard, heart hammering in her chest, Nessa edged her way to the door. She taunted Deardha with her words. “Don’t ever underestimate Latharn’s power. You gave him six hundred years to perfect it. Remember?”

The crone’s scowl deepened as she rushed the door, her black robes lifting her into the air. Once out in the hall, she passed her hands across the threshold. A pulsating energy field sealed off the portal trapping Nessa inside.

Her voice deteriorated to the croak of a raven as the she-devil sneered at Nessa from the other side. “Ye shall be the bait for my trap, bitch! I will have Latharn. He will come.”

Her dark eyes glistened, her head tilted to the side as Deardha clutched her gnarled hands in front of her. “When I’ve tired of toying with him and cast him into the abyss, then I’ll return to enjoy tormenting you. Ye will find that once your precious Latharn is dead, his protection of ye will be no more.”

Nessa pounded her fists on the table as Deardha disappeared into an evaporating mist. She heaved the iron candelabra into the energy field, ducking as crackling sparks filled the air.

Backing into a corner, Nessa slid down to hug her knees. She rested her cheek on her arms.

All she could do now was conserve her energy, wait for Latharn, and hope he could beat the witch at her own vicious game.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Latharn sat and watched for the first blinding rim of the sun to edge its way over the distant horizon. The holy waters of the prophecy bowl shimmered before him. The glowing moonlight had charged the liquid for hours. All he needed now was for the arc of the breaking sun to banish the stars from the sky. Then he could ask the waters the way to Nessa and he’d have his answer. The goddess moon never lied. It always gave the answers to those who asked…those faithful to the Ways.

Fiona dozed in Brodie’s protective embrace. As midnight had passed, they’d settled on a heavy bench on the other side of the room. Brodie hadn’t slept. He’d kept silent vigil. Latharn had found comfort in his presence and his loyalty.

Trish had collapsed into a pitiful ball curled against the base of Latharn’s chair. Tears of guilt had streamed down her face. She’d paced about the room for hours. While she’d paced and apologized to Latharn for allowing Nessa to touch the stone, Latharn had quieted her with a subtle wave of his hand. The tranquility spell would cloud her mind long enough for her to get some much-needed rest. He needed all of them at their sharpest for what lay ahead.

His gaze found Brodie. Latharn alerted him with a single nod as the sun crested over the hills. He reached down to rest his hand upon Trish’s shoulder and squeezed until she opened her eyes.

He helped Trish from the floor and motioned her deeper into the room. As he rose from his chair, he nodded toward the bowl where it shimmered upon the pedestal opened to the sky. His voice calm with determination, he said, “’Tis time.”

Brodie shook Fiona, pressing his lips to her ear and whispered her awake. She stretched like a cat, rose from his arms, and tied her hair back from her eyes. “Do ye need for us to gather anything else? Have we all the tools needed for the spell?”

Latharn flexed his hands as though warming up for battle and inhaled a cleansing breath. His gaze settling upon Fiona, he spoke in a thoughtful voice as he nodded toward her waist. “Aye, we have everything listed to complete the spell. In fact, we have an added boon. Fiona, since ye carry new life within your body, it will strengthen the vision of the bowl. I want you to be the only one to touch the bowl now that the water has been magically charged.”

At Trish’s wide-eyed look of confusion, Latharn pointed toward the sky at the fading vision of the almost fully waxed moon. The bright blue brilliance of the early morning was already washing it from the sky.

“The goddess cherishes all stages of womanhood, but she truly blesses those who lovingly carry within them a child. Fiona carries twins of the MacKay line. The magic already flows in their veins.”

Fiona lifted the bowl from the pedestal, cradling it between her forearms. She eased her way across the stone floor, gasping as the water slopped dangerously close to the edge.

One step and then another, she edged her way across the room. She glanced to Latharn for direction. He didn’t say a word, just bestowed a reassuring smile upon her and gestured toward the table.

Following behind her, Latharn joined Fiona at the table as she lowered the bowl. With his hands on her shoulders and a gentle nod for her to sit, Latharn covered her hands with his own. Her hands trembled beneath Latharn’s strong grasp, her fingers spread upon the stone of the ancient bowl.

As he trailed his fingers up her arms, he circled around behind her. Hands settling upon her shoulders, Latharn closed his eyes. He’d connect with every power and every force to be found to reclaim his Nessa. The charged water pulsated in the ancient bowl and transmitted power to him through Fiona’s impregnated body. As the magnified energy focused within his body, Latharn opened his eyes. With a nod to Trish and Brodie, he took a deep breath. He was ready to find his Nessa.

“Close the portal, Brodie. We must have complete darkness. Trish, please extinguish all the flames and then join your hands to Fiona’s.”

Brodie raised his hands to the sky and closed the room like a giant eyelid. As Trish extinguished every flame, an electrified darkness crackled through the room. The holy water trembled in the scrying bowl on the table and took on an eerie glow.

His hands still resting on Fiona’s shoulders, Latharn stared unblinking into the shimmering water. Concentrating his powers, his hands warmed as his energy flowed through Fiona’s body into the awaiting bowl.

“Blessed goddess, I call upon ye to open the veil to my sight. Remove the barriers. Part the mists. Guide us to the one I love. Blessed goddess, I call upon ye to show me who has stolen she who is mine.”

As Latharn’s words stirred the waters, the prophecy bowl began to spin between Fiona’s hands. Fiona gasped as it broke free of her hold and rose from the surface of the table. It levitated into the air until it floated a few inches above their heads. As the waters swirled, the energy from within the basin emerged into the total darkness just above the bowl’s surface. An image of Nessa appeared in the hovering aura.

Latharn tensed as Nessa’s bound and blindfolded form shimmered into view. He fought against the rage surging inside him. If his fury took hold of his consciousness, the visions would disappear. He wanted to cry out as he witnessed Nessa tear the flesh on her wrists and wrench her hands free of the cutting ropes. He clenched his fists until his palms bled as Nessa burned her ankles free of the restraints.

Pride and satisfaction filled him to bursting as Nessa impaled Gabriel with the candelabra spear. His woman’s passion was only rivaled by her courage. He was truly blessed by the goddess to have been matched with such a wondrous soul.

His elation was short-lived. Bile rose in his throat as he watched the dark
bana-buidhseach
emerge from Gabriel’s lifeless body. He bit through his lip to stifle a shout as Nessa attacked the sorceress. He marveled at his beloved’s strength and speed. He flinched as Nessa successfully dodged each of the destructive swirling balls of energy the crone lobbed at her head.

As Deardha disappeared and Nessa sank to the floor in exhaustion, Latharn shuddered and drew a ragged breath. “Show me how to find the one I love. Show me how to bring her home.”