Stone Heart (20 page)

Karen heard the barely concealed break in his voice and hugged him back. For the first time in her life, she began to pity herself for the illness that plagued her. There was so much she wanted and would never have. Someone
else
would lie in the woods and make love to Angus, for her heart was too weak to allow that. Someone
else
would give him children, and in time, she'd be a memory. Just someone he knew and would miss. She was someone he felt gratitude toward. For her, there was so very much more.

They silently broke the embrace and walked toward the clearing. From a distance they began to hear music. Pipes, drums, recorders and bagpipes all joined together in a harmony Karen recognized as Celtic. There was no other music like it on Earth. It was meant to touch the heart, stir 174

Stone Heart

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the soul and inspire dreams. At this particular moment, it conjured visions of rowdy dancing and merrymaking.

Before they entered the circle of firelight and could see whose voices were raised in song and cheerful banter, Angus turned to Karen and stood before her. "You must close your eyes."

"Why? Is it some kind of tradition or something to do with magic?" she murmured.

Her eyes widened in expectation and Angus smiled. He knew he was behaving like a small child, but he could not help the innocence she gifted to his heart. "No, I just want you to close your eyes."

"All right." Karen grinned and did as he asked. The man exhibited a playful nature at times. One more sign he wasn't the horrible person he thought himself to be. She felt him take her left hand as he carefully led her forward. The voices and music became louder with each step. She wondered if everyone in the whole countryside could hear.

"You may open your eyes now and see wonders to dream of," Angus said, then stepped out of her vision.

"
Oh, Lord!"
she gasped, and swallowed hard. Before her, scattered about the clearing by the hundreds, stood every conceivable creature she could imagine. It looked as if someone had opened a child's book and let the fairy tale contents spill everywhere. Great bonfires illuminated their bodies and made them all seem more magical. There were great hulking creatures of gray which looked like living rocks.

They lumbered from one table to the next and conversed with tall winged men and women of such beauty that it shook her 175

Stone Heart

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senses to the core. There were people like Pluck who darted from place to place, and still smaller beings who flew, danced or hopped their way around in an effort to find choice bits of food or greet someone in particular. Everyone was dressed in medieval garb. Given the population of this mixed-up world, it seemed the only appropriate clothing. She would definitely have stood out in her jeans and hiking boots.

All the men seemed to sport hair that was much longer than usual, and those with wings wore no shirts or jerkins.

The women bearing similar appendages wore diaphanous gowns too revealing to be considered decent. Their clothing was styled in halter fashion so their backs were bare and their glistening, Fairy-dusted skin glowed. Some of their wings were opaque, some clear as glass. None were the same, as individual as the creatures themselves. Karen saw skin colors in every conceivable hue. Black, white, blue, green and every shade in between. Her heart couldn't stand the excitement, though she had tried to remain calm. Her hand went to her chest and she dropped to her knees.

"Karen!" Angus dropped to his knees along with her.

She groped for the pocket deep within her Druid robe and found the small bottle of medicine. Years of practice made it easy for her to pop the lid, and swallow one of the tablets without ever taking her gaze from the assembly before her.

"I'll be okay in just a minute," she gasped. "Just w-wasn't ready for this."

"Will she be all right?" a soft, feminine voice asked from behind them.

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"Yes," Karen replied as she turned her head. "Just give me a few seconds."

The most lovely women Karen had ever seen stepped toward her and knelt down. She was a Fairy with flame colored hair. Every part of her sparkled with a glittery substance and, in the light of the campfires, Karen could see almond shaped blue-green eyes and skin as clear and fine as bisque. Her gown was forest green and shimmered. Her wings were the same color and shaped like those of a dragonfly.

"I'm Amber. I saw her collapse. Can I help?" she asked.

"Please," Angus nodded.

"Pluck," Amber called, "bring some heather ale."

In a moment, the small Elf appeared with a pottery mug.

"I saw what happened. Are you going to be well enough for the festivities, Karen?" Pluck asked.

Karen noted the concern in all their voices, and she was determined not to let her illness stop her from seeing everything. The medication began to take effect and she straightened her body from its slouched position and carefully stood up.

"I'm sorry. Please, don't fuss over me. The pain is gone."

"Maybe you'd like to find a table where you can sit and watch more comfortably?" Amber suggested.

"Yes, that would be fine, thank you." Karen turned toward the Fairy woman and got the first real impact of her statuesque appearance. "You're
breathtaking
," she gasped.

Amber smiled warmly. "And Shayla was right. You're very intelligent for an outsider. I like you already."

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The two women smiled at each other and Angus knew Karen had made yet another friend. It seemed so easy for her. But he could not deny the truth of her words. As wondrous as most Fairies were, Amber was striking.

"Come with me. You can sit at my table." Amber took Karen's arm, nodded toward Angus and led them to an oak-hewn table a short distance away.

"I'll set extra places and bring food," Pluck said as he sprinted away.

"You've made quite an impression upon that Elf, Karen."

Amber nodded toward Pluck's retreating figure. "He's been speaking of you all day long. You too, Angus."

"I can only imagine," Angus half-grinned. "'Tis obvious the Sorceress has told everyone we would be here tonight."

"Yes. She has also said that you're to begin training tomorrow and has assembled some men and women for the task. Karen is to go to the estate home and look into our computer glitches."

To Karen, it seemed incongruous to speak of such modern things as computers in the midst of such magical happenings.

But that
was
why she'd been allowed to come here. She didn't, however, understand the reference to Angus. "What training?" she asked.

"Angus needs to be reintroduced to our ways, find something he's good at and given a job so that he can contribute to the Order. Each of us has something we do in that respect," Amber said as she motioned them to sit and help themselves to food and drink. "I help dye wool which is loomed into fine fabric and sold in London. Of course, 178

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outsiders think our textiles come from the Highlands or Irish weavers. But our fabrics are the best in the world. We have an intricate network of salespeople who carefully filter our goods into the marketplace. Trolls make heavy pottery, Irish Fairies hook intricate lace, and herbs are gathered by some of our Druids, as well as crystals from underground caves. Some Goblins turn the crystals into jewelry and make fine musical instruments and knives. Everyone has something they do which contributes to keeping our way of life secret and functioning. We even have Druids and Fairies who attend universities and become physicians, chemists, historians and all kinds of professional people.

Karen felt her eyes widen. "This is all so amazing. Tell me more. Tell me what some of these creatures are and why all the Fairies look so different? Why aren't they tiny like Pixies?

How did all this start? Will Shayla and Hugh be joining us?"

Amber laughed at Karen's enthusiasm. "One question at a time. Why don't
you
tell her what you remember, Angus. It'll give me a chance to evaluate your knowledge so I can pass it along to those who will be training you."

"I remember more than I believed possible," he replied as he looked around he clearing. But then he'd had hundreds of years to stand and think.

"The large hulking creatures are Ogres. They dunna', as I recall, have the power to change their appearance except to become as rock."

"Change their appearance?" Karen choked out as she swallowed a large portion of homemade bread. Then she remembered Lore telling her he would appear in his
true
form 179

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and Angus speaking of shape shifters. Looking more closely, she began to recognize some of the Fairies as those people who had appeared human in the daylight.

"Aye. Fairies and Goblins are among those who can shape shift. Druids have no need of such powers. The Trolls are the small grayish or greenish folk with pointed ears and teeth, the Goblins are there." Angus pointed to a gathering of men and women several tables away.

Karen's breath almost left when several of the Goblins turned and walked slowly toward her. One was taller than the others, massively built and vaguely familiar. His black hair was long and straight. It drifted gracefully in the evening breeze. While his expression was solemn, the faces and body language of the others appeared threatening. The men's hands clenched into fists, their strides quickened as though they were approaching the scene of a battle. Unlike their appearance in the daylight, they were all a shocking dark green. Their ears were pointed and their eyes were solid orbs of black. Some of them appeared to have incisors which reminded her of vampires. Amber and Angus immediately stood, and Karen could almost feel their concern.

"It appears Tearach and some of the other Goblins have a bone to pick," Pluck murmured as he returned with some more food. He positioned himself to Karen's right, stood on the bench beside her, and protectively placed his hand on her shoulder.

"
That's
Tearach Bruce? The man I met today?" Karen asked.

Pluck nodded. "It is."

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Karen watched the tallest of the men. It was true. He was as dark green as the others. His eyes were slightly slanted and had no pupils or irises that the many fires in the clearing could illuminate. Those eyes reminded her of renderings she'd seen of aliens from other worlds. And when he spoke to one of his companions, his incisors appeared as long and sharp as any cat's. While the picture was frightening at first glance, something about him emanated power and pride. Perhaps it was his strong posture or almost lordly bearing. Though he was smaller than Angus, he was taller than Karen would consider normal. His body was muscular and athletic looking.

Tearach might have been as handsome as any mythic god were it not for his expression of hatred. An expression directed toward her.

"Will you and your friends join us, Tearach?" Amber motioned toward an empty bench, trying to diffuse a threatening situation.

"We keep to our own, Fairy. You know that. Or are you already forgetting our ways in the company of an outsider?"

one of the men said, pointing a bony finger toward Karen.

"Hold your tongue and be civil, Roland." Tearach held up his hand. "The woman is here with the Sorceress'

permission."

"You said yourself that..."

"I know what I said, man. I'm the leader of our clan and I'll do the talking. Is that
clear?"

Angus watched as the Goblin Leader turned and looked each of his clansmen in the eyes. He remembered Goblins as being formidable opponents. And while there was nothing 181

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they would not do to keep their own kind safe, they had always been fiercely loyal to the Order and their leader. As each of the men and women present looked their superior in the face, their heads fell in submission. A testament to Tearach's authority and absolute power. As far as Angus knew, there was no one in the Order who wished to be on the wrong side of a Goblin. Especially not one of their leaders. In the past, they were known to have been cunning beyond belief and would fight to the death, if the occasion warranted such action. Clearly, there was resentment of Karen's presence within the Order and Tearach was siding with Shayla on the issue, though he probably resented doing so. The man's next words confirmed Angus' suspicions.

"I don't approve of having an outsider among us. Everyone knows this, and I make no apology for my beliefs. My people feel the same." He gestured toward the other Goblins. "But Shayla has given orders that the woman is to be left alone and so it shall be. But, as I said earlier today, there are parts of this forest that are sacred to us. Any who are members of the Order are welcome there.
She
isn't." He nodded toward Karen. "I've come to reiterate the point. Do whatever it is the Sorceress bids of you, MacGregor. But keep your outsider—

friend—away from us. Is that clear?"

"Verra' clear, Goblin. And you hear
this
. Keep your minions away from Karen. Whatever quarrel you have with other outsiders has nothing to do with
her
." Angus raised his voice so the rest of the Goblins could hear.

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"Best to mind your tongue when speaking to our leader, MacGregor." The Goblin referred to as Roland glared at Angus.

"Enough!"
Shayla's voice resounded as loud as thunder and shook trees around them. "
I will have peace here
."

The entire assemblage, every man and woman, stopped and turned toward the forest. Shayla stepped from the inky blackness into the light of the many fires. Karen saw a glow around her like something spectral, and everyone who was standing knelt. Hugh stood slightly behind her and glared at the Goblins. Shayla walked forward and spoke in a low voice so that only those near Amber's table could hear.