Blue Keltic Moon (Children of the Keltic Triad) (31 page)

“Ye shall no’.” He shook his head and twisted his shoulders but she wouldn’t move away. Instead, she caught his face between her hands and kissed him.

“Oh, I shall. Never would I choose a place such as this for livin’. But, Morghan, ye are my life. Where ye are is where I must be. I would no’ survive if I must be separated from ye again.”

“No, sweet Coralie, I would no’ allow it.”

Taking a step back, she fisted her hands at her hips. “Ye would no’ allow it? I say ye would have no choice. ’Tis my decision to make. An’ I choose ye, my love. I have, an’ I always will.”

After a quick glance to ascertain the elemental had not moved, Morghan held out both hands to her. “Come here, woman.”

She tilted her head to one side, contemplating him. Then she smiled and swayed toward him. Once he held her on his lap and nuzzled her hair, he sighed. “I would not have ye here, but if ’tis to be, then I shall be pleased to have ye here with me.”

“Pleased?”

“Oh aye, more than pleased.” Yet as he kissed her he was unable to keep his fears contained and the kiss melded into desperation. If they could not stop the elemental—

Coralie stiffened and pulled away. “Listen.”

Holding his breath to still the panicked beating of his heart, Morghan strained to hear what held Coralie’s attention. She pressed on his shoulder and stood facing the far side of the small camp.

Then he heard—the rising rumble of voices in the distance.

D
ogs barked in the distance. Desert dogs voicing displeasure. Gowthaman shook his head to clear the fancy. But the sound continued. After a moment grim satisfaction brought a tight smile to his lips. Not dogs. The chanted incantation, blessed voices from the human world.

He glanced at the elemental. Brandr Ur straightened and turned his head, listening, but gave no indication of interest other than to cross one ankle over the opposite knee.

Gowthaman snorted softly. The elemental did not need to broadcast his intentions. They knew his plans well enough. Well enough for Gowthaman to know they weren’t truly prepared to do battle with such an ancient creature.

Turning his gaze from the lounging elemental, Gowthaman took a moment to study his friends.

Friends. For far too many years he’d had acquaintances aplenty, but friends? He had not realized how lonely life had been. Others who studied ancient texts, who occasionally inhabited the dim halls of Alexandria’s Fey library had once been enough. Not true companionship, but the meeting of like minds, the comfort of knowing there were others nearby—others who, like him, neither wanted nor pursued attachments.

He had been content. Or so he had believed. The short time he had thought himself in love with Kaelea brought him into the Zeroun family circle.

Not a single one of these who came here bore the name or the blood of the Zeroun clan, yet each was as much a part of the whole as any. Even the Sindhu prince, whom none had yet met, would be welcomed and named family.

The bitter realization he had been so welcomed even after nearly causing Bard his life, and Kae her happiness, welled in his chest, cutting off his breath. One person perhaps could forgive his actions—but an entire family? How did such acceptance happen? He was not worthy of the honor bestowed upon him.

The mumbled chanting grew clearer, the words nearly intelligible. Though the elemental had not yet risen from his stone perch, his eyes glittered with malice. Evil intent strained the cords of neck muscle, deepening the outward expression of Brandr Ur’s focus. Only moments remained before the elemental burst into action.

Gowthaman tightened his determination and reached for the sword he had used in the mock battle with Chance. He would fight beside this family, stand with the woman he loved and the friends he never thought to have.

When he had so rashly followed Breanna into the world between worlds, he had believed his purpose to be as a sacrifice. Only two days ago he had thought such a sacrifice was his to make, both to assist with Morghan’s rescue and to purge himself of his self-pitying pain. How wrong he had been.

Wrong about so many things. Shame and regret burned across his cheeks, heating his skin unbearably. He no longer wished to sacrifice himself. Found the very idea repugnant. Blindly reaching to the side, he captured Breanna’s hand, brought it to his lips then released her. The small caress was enough to show her his love, then allow her the space to perform her duties as Alastriona and leader of this mission.

She leaned against his side, and he found comfort in the warm pressure. He would fight at her side and neither of them would become a sacrifice to the elemental’s plans.

The chant separated into three distinct voices. Only mildly surprised to hear Lucidea’s clear tones joining with Jayse’s deep rumble and Tori’s alto, Gowthaman narrowed his eyes, watching Brandr Ur for indications of the elemental’s next move.

Brandr Ur smiled benignly and slowly rose to his feet. He gave a courtly bow in Morghan’s direction then took a step forward, speaking syllables in a language so harsh and guttural they seemed to rip the Alfar spell from the air.

Morghan moved after the elemental, joining in the distant, human world chant. Coralie added her voice but a moment later.

Gowthaman felt Breanna take a deep breath. She straightened, nodded and they stepped forward together, angling to put the elemental between them and Morghan. When the chant began again, with their voices forcing the words into the world between worlds, magic rose around them.

The explosive swirl of powerful, unrecognized magic caused Gowthaman to stumble over the words. He breathed in the essences, tasting the powerful flavor of the Alfar, then expelled the magical intent with his power-filled chanting.

Brandr Ur took a heavy step forward. Chance moved directly before him, the long sword held loose at his side. The young man’s fervency when he joined the chant and a sharp indication with the tip of the sword, directed the power to form a tight swirl rising from the elemental’s feet to curl about his body.

Laughing, Brandr Ur shook off the magic like a wet dog, shoved Chance to the ground and strode past him. Breanna tensed, then relaxed as her brother righted himself, continuing to speak in unison with the others.

The elemental’s laughter broke off in a frustrated snarl. Brandr Ur continued forward, but his movements became a slow motion struggle of arms and legs as though he moved through a sticky, gelatinous membrane.

Gowthaman frowned. Even increasing the force and intensity of their words did not completely stop the elemental. Brandr Ur moved slowly, steadily, toward the spot where his low spoken magic had increased the thinning of the veil.

––––––––

U
sing the reasoning someone needed to watch for the unexpected, Nightshade stood to one side of the chanting trio. Facing the sky and the thinning veil, Tori stood in front of Jayse and Lucidea, creating a loose triangle. There had been no convincing Lucidea to remain in the relative safety of the manor house. Jayse’s vehement arguments rang with logic which she had countered with fierce determination. She had even used her pregnancy to her advantage—claiming the life they’d created added even more magic to the equation.

Jayse had not been convinced. Nightshade grimaced. Neither had he. Yet she had pushed her way past both men and here she was.

Lucidea calmly spoke words gleaned from the past, words intended to bring about Morghan’s return. Despite the serenity in her expression, she clasped her husband’s hand with a white-knuckled grip. That same anxiety exerted a tight grasp on Nightshade’s heart. He moved a step closer and frowned.

When they had breached the veil two nights previously, the barrier between this world and the world between worlds had fought the magic before tearing open. Tonight, it was as if the veil peeled away, each layer bringing them closer to Morghan’s return. Nightshade glanced at the rising moon, shivering as the power of the full, shimmering globe rained down on him.

Trepidation tingled across his shoulders and he attempted to shrug it away. But the odd feeling settled between his shoulder blades, a dull knife of anxiety threatening to pierce his skin.

Another layer of the veil dissolved and he saw the wavering movements of shadowy figures. One, taller and broader than the rest moved closer to the veil. Even distorted there was no mistaking the elemental. Nightshade stepped sideways, closer to Jayse and Lucidea.

The elemental shoved someone from his path. Chance, Nightshade decided. The young man was brash enough to openly challenge Brandr Ur. After stepping past the challenger, Brandr Ur strode forward. His presence grew larger, filling the area surrounded by the thinning veil. He pressed against the magical membrane until the fabric stretched to outline hands, face, a triumphant smile. Burning, arid wind poured from the world between worlds.

Lucidea’s chant faltered. She gasped then whispered, “It’s not enough. He’s going to come through.”

“Keep going, darlin’,” Jayse shouted over the rising whine of wind. “Never give up.”

Nightshade closed his eyes. Their efforts weren’t enough. Their attempts slowed the elemental, but could not stop him. He took a deep breath. Never a believer in destiny, in one heartbeat he accepted his long life had led him to this family. To this point in time. Giving a soft snort, he opened his eyes and focused on the straining veil. He rested his hands on Jayse and Lucidea’s shoulder.

The words burst easily past his crumbling resistance. No flamboyant lilt, no affectations. His voice—strong, deep—rose with the others’. The ground trembled, shivered in response.

Tori glanced back at him, the questions in her dark eyes fading as the power surrounding them grew and stretched toward the world between worlds. She smiled, turned, and placed her hand over his.

“That’s it,” Lucidea shouted over the wind. She shifted, easing from under Nightshade’s hand then joined her hand to his and Tori’s.

“The spell... Again.” Jayse wrapped both hands over and below the knot of their joined fingers.

A rush of intense magic spiraled from Nightshade’s chest down his arm to their joined hands. When their combined voices rose with the chant, the ground shook. Wind swirled around them, gently spinning leaves high into the night sky. Water droplets dashed against Nightshade’s skin, pouring from a waterspout hovering at the edge of the dark loch.

Too long. The power... nearly too much to contain. Yet they had more to do. Nightshade clenched his jaw and ground out the word, “Again.”

Water, air, earth. Triple whirling ropes of power danced through the sky. Joined into a single tornado, the magic hovered, waiting.

The elemental pushed harder against the veil. Tiny cracks appeared in the gray mist.

Lucidea gave soft sound of dismay and the watery rope slipped from the others. “No,” she cried. Her visible struggle to gain control, to raise more power in a weakened state, burned into Nightshade’s soul. He could no longer guard his secrets if it meant more losses to those he loved.

Deep in the far reaches of his memories, from long before, when he believed he understood his place in his world, he found the key. A single word, taught to him by his father, a magic he’d never understood. Forgotten until this moment.

The three he’d joined with for this battle watched him with question filled eyes. He grinned. “Once more, okay honeys? Just once more.”

Squaring her shoulders, Lucidea nodded. Tori leaned forward on her toes. Worry filling his eyes, Jayse gazed at Lucidea. She tilted her chin at him. With a slight smile, he released a ragged sigh. The four drew breath together and began a final recitation of the ancient spell.

The tornado arched toward the veil and the elemental eased back, but did not retreat. Hot, powerful wind whistled through the tiny rips in the veil, battering them. As the last syllable of their spell dissipated in the wind, Nightshade drew himself to his full height and shouted, “Arunz!”

A rumbling tremor shook the brae, tossing them to the ground. Nightshade caught Lucidea, turning them while in flight so his body cushioned her landing. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, shifting as the ground stilled. Sharp rocks bit into his back. He held back a groan.

Jayse jerked to sitting and clasped Lucidea’s hand. “Okay? Both of you?”

She covered her abdomen with her free hand. “Yeah, I think so. You probably should worry more about Nightshade.” She wiggled and he loosened his hold. Lucidea slid next to Jayse then jabbed Nightshade’s shoulder. The pokes were as uncompromising as the stones at his back. “Who are you? What are you?”

Before he could summon an answer, Tori lifted herself on one elbow, then sat, testing her muscles. “Can’t you guess?” She grinned and swiped her hair back from her face. “He’s Alfar, of course. He’s Domovoii.”

Staring as if he’d never seen Nightshade before, Jayse leaned closer. In the moonlight his questions were not to be denied.

Nightshade closed his eyes and nodded once. No reason to hide the facts of his birth any longer. Where he’d thought to feel anger or dismay at the revelation, instead relief calmed the churning in his abused belly.

“Shade?” Jayse asked.

“Talk later, honey. Now help me up. Your wife knocked the breath from me.”

Jayse peered into the sky then scrambled to his feet and held out one hand. Nightshade grasped the offering and pulled himself to his feet. A fine dusting of earth covered him and he felt a long forgotten sense of welcome... of home.

As Tori helped Lucidea stand she glanced at him and asked, “What was that last word you said? What does Arunz—”

Whining wind stole her speech and pressed the four of them into a tight knot. With sudden silence, the wind died.

“Whoa,” Jayse muttered. “What was all that about?”

“I have an idea,” Tori answered, trying to smooth windblown locks over her head. “Look at the power we raised before.”

Whirling magic circled the veil, framing the pale gray spot in the sky. The ropes of earth and air had thickened and wrapped tightly around each other and the veil, the thinner, watery rope held slack between them.