The Gazing Globe (3 page)

Blain wanted to make some smart retort, but hearing his uncle's gentle reprimand in the same Scottish accent as his father's made him smile instead. Hugh was so much like his dad that he sometimes had to remind himself that his father was gone. "You shouldn't worry about me. Did you ever stop to consider that being with a beautiful woman is the most relaxing thing on earth?"

Hugh grinned mischievously. "Aye, I've heard that, though it's been a while since I've had the pleasure myself."

"Maybe you should go out. You know, find a lady in the community with similar interests?" Blain hoped his uncle would get the hint and leave him alone. Or maybe the subject might lead to his uncle talking more about his personal life inScotland.

Hugh took his time responding. He picked up his pipe, loaded it with tobacco, then leaned back in his comfortable chair while he lit it, "Well, since you've brought the subject up, there's an acquaintance of mine living in England. I hope you don't mind, but I've invited her for a visit. That's the real reason I waited up for you."

"Why, you old lady-killer! She can stay here and have the room next to yours. Better still, she can stay with you in your room if you'd like some privacy," Blain joked as he straddled a nearby chair. He'd enjoy picking on his uncle the same way the older man had goaded him about Rhiannon

"Don't be impertinent, young rake," Hugh responded as he raised one eyebrow in an imperious expression. "Shayla Gallagher isn't a woman with whom one toys."

Implying Rhiannon probably was, but Blain let the last comment pass. "Shayla, huh Sounds interesting.

So, tell me about this...friend." If Hugh heard the emphasis he'd placed on that last word, he refused to rise to the bait

"She's fromCornwall, and you might say she's a sort of cultural expert. She travels from country to country and deals with a variety of people."

"Did this woman know Mom and Dad?"

"She was great friends with your parents. But the same circumstances which prevented me from visiting your father and mother while they were alive also kept Shayla away."

"I don't understand what that means. You know, Mom and Dad never told me I had an uncle living somewhere inEurope. In fact, they wouldn't discuss anything about family matters at all."

"Aye, I'm sure that's true. It's better that you don't know why for now, but you will soon. I promise."

"That's cryptic." Blain remarked "You aren't wanted by the law or anything, are you?"

"Certainly not, young pup," Hugh gasped in mock indignation. "I've never done a single illegal thing in my life!"

"Secret agent? Spy?" Blain questioned as he leaned forward, grinning.

Hugh paused for a long time and stared straight into Blain's face. "I was busy learning to conjure and control the elements of air, fire, water and earth. Does that answer your question?"

"Okay, okay. You win. It's none of my business." Blain laughed, put his hands up in resignation and shrugged.

"Go to bed, lad. If you're going to get up at the crack of dawn, you'll need some sleep."

"All right. Goodnight, Hugh. I'll see you in the morning."

Hugh watched as Blain left the room. Then he got up and used the fireplace poker to stir the ashes of the hexes and evil talismans burning there. There was some coal wrapped in black cloth, small dolls with pins stuck in them and poisoned herbs found on the farm earlier that day. "Black magic!" he angrily muttered to himself. "Whoever is using these things won't kill you, lad. I won't let them."

***

From the back seat,Aftonglanced at the scenery as they drove. Then she focused her attention on the distinguished man in the driver's seat. Hugh McTavish was about Shayla's age. He had a thick pelt of white hair, the kindest blue eyes she'd ever seen, and he was tall and handsome. She had liked and trusted him her entire life, and she hoped to have a man like him love her one day.

She tactfully looked out the window again when Hugh lifted Shayla's hand and placed a small kiss on the back of it.Aftonknew Shayla sorely missed her consort. Once, she had gotten the courage to ask Shayla why they had never handfasted. Rumors abounded about the reason, but she wanted to get the information straight from the source.

But Shayla had waved her hand in one of her typically empirical gestures and made some offhand comment about the fact that she and Hugh were as close as any handfasted couple could possibly be.

That since they'd been together for so long, what good would a handfasting do, except take attention away from those couples who came forward on sacred nights and exchanged their vows?

That had sounded perfectly plausible toAfton, but she secretly wondered if the Sorceress might not be averse to commitment of that kind. Everyone had weaknesses and foibles. Maybe that was Shayla Gallagher's.

Knowing she'd never know Shayla's real reasons for not handfasting, she dragged her wandering thoughts back to the conversation being held in the front seat. Since he'd picked them up at the airport, Hugh had been filling Shayla in on all the information he knew about his young nephew, Blain.

"What are some of the signs of enchantment you first noticed?" Shayla asked.

Aftonsat upright. Perhaps her daydreaming had been poorly timed. What enchantment'? This was the first time she'd heard of anything of the like.

"The animals began to sicken and go off their feed all at once and for no apparent reason," Hugh replied. "I didn't call a veterinarian when the wild yew I placed over the barn door worked overnight.

That was what made me first suspect a foul presence. Then I found a willow wand lying by the road. The last thing I found was an evil hex sign on a tree in the woods. I came across it about two days ago. Blain just keeps getting more ill and tries to hide it."

"Stars,"Aftongasped. "We're dealing with a Druid who's practicing black magic? You never told me about this, Shayla."

"Aye," Hugh agreed. "A black conjurer was my conclusion, exactly."

"Why would an evil presence like that want to harm Blain?"Aftonleaned forward so that her arms rested on the backseat between the two older Druids.

"Either he's made some kind of powerful enemy or someone knows something of his heritage. It may be he has powers someone is trying to syphon off, or they're testing them. If the latter is true, then this evil presence could bring harm to the Order," Shayla answered, wrapping her shawl more tightly around her shoulders.

"I don't know of a single soul who'd really want to harm the lad. But in the short time I've been with him, I've learned there are a few who resent his presence," Hugh admitted.

"And who would that be?" Shayla asked.

"There's a widow named Hannah Biddies. Some time ago, when her husband was still alive, Mr.

Biddies sold the best of his farmland to Arthur and Syndra. Uh, those are Blain's parents," Hugh explained, glancing atAfton. "That land now belongs to Blain. The woman has told everyone in town that she strongly objected to the sale. Her land, of course, adjoins Blain's."

"So she'd be close enough to come onto Blain's property in the night?"Aftonasked.

"That's possible. But I think the woman is harmless, more bluster than anything."

"Who else?" Shayla questioned.

"There's the Reverend Myers. He resents Blain's relationship with a woman in town. He says it stirs up too much gossip."

"A woman?"Afton's eyes widened in astonishment. What kind of relationship could a boy have with a woman?

"Who is this person?" Shayla asked.

"Rhiannon Stone. She moved here fromNew Yorkabout three months ago and owns an antique store in town. The lady is quite lovely, and Blain spends a great deal of his spare time with her. What little spare time he has," Hugh added. "Harvest is a small place, and the good Reverend Myers resents anyone corrupting his flock by committing acts of a lecherous nature, as he puts it. Blain's relationship with Ms.

Stone seems to anger him no end."

Shayla nodded. "That gives us two possibilities to check out, anyway."

"Excuse me, but I'm more than a bit confused,"Aftoninterjected, her voice rising to emphasize her growing irritation. "No one told me that there was evil magic threatening Blain, and how in the world could a little boy have a relationship of the kind you're describing with a grown woman? That's positively disgusting."

Hugh and Shayla looked at one another and began to laugh.

Aftonglared at them both. "What, may I ask, is so amusing?"

"Afton, how old did you think Blain was?" Hugh gasped out between laughs. "He's just over thirty."

"I was guessing he was only about ten or eleven," she responded. "How long had they been living, undetected, in this area?"

"They ran for more than thirty years, and lived in this community for the last five of those," Hugh answered. "Together, their magic hid and protected them well. No matter where they went, they'd move on if they thought anyone was closing in. When Syndra passed away, so did the power that hid Blain from the rest of the Order. I came looking for my brother, Arthur, and his mate, Syndra." He paused as if to compose himself and fight back sorrow, "I found their son instead. Though he's a good lad, I was devastated to learn both his parents had passed on only a short time before I got here."

Shayla patted Hugh's hand comfortingly.

"No wonder old Freyja wanted them found,"Aftonsaid. "The mating of two beings from different factions must have worried her terribly. Together, their powers might even have been greater than hers, and she had to fear that."

"Aye, exactly," Hugh nodded.

Aftonlooked at Shayla. "You didn't tell me someone practicing black magic wants to harm Blain. You should have done so before I decided to come on this trip." Afton sat back, crossed her arms over her chest and chewed on her lower lip in concern.

Shayla simply shrugged. "I needed you here, lass. Besides, would it have made any difference? This is a perfect chance for you to get away fromEnglandand the things distracting you there."

"I guess you're right, but from now on, please tell me everything."

"Whatever led you to believe Blain was a child?" Hugh quizzedAfton.

"I've only heard him referred to as boy or lad," she responded, glaring at Shayla.

"To us he is. Just as you're a lass or a girl." Shayla grinned.

Aftonsat back in her seat and silently fumed over being referred to as anything other than a woman.

She had a name, and they could use it instead of referring to her by a younger title. There were, after all, others her age whose powers were as lacking or worse than hers. Yet they weren't referred to in such a juvenile manner. It was a constant irritation to be given less respect than they.

She kept quiet and let the two older people talk to each other for the rest of the journey. Aside from the lack of general respect, she was also angry at having been deliberately deceived. Everything her mentor had said portrayed Blain as a young boy. But why Shayla would mislead her? Perhaps it was her mentor's way of testing her mettle.

But black magic such as they were describing was powerful. If she wasn't very careful, she could end up getting herself into a real mess. She shook her head and wondered what she would do with the model airplane she had carefully packed as a gift for Blain.

***

"Here we are," Hugh said as he drove up the narrow lane to the three story farmhouse.

"Oh, Hugh, it's lovely." Shayla clasped her hands together and smiled.

"It is nice, isn't it? Blain works very hard to keep things just right. He's quite a dedicated worker," Hugh bragged.

As far asAftonwas concerned, he had something to brag about. The farmhouse was wonderfully warm and welcoming. It was built entirely of logs and had a porch running all the way around. In the front yard, colorful flowers bloomed abundantly in beds and containers. Stone fences contained fat cattle in nearby pastures. Thick woods surrounded the pastures and looked as though they stretched for some distance behind the house itself. Afton wondered what kind of man, outside those of the Order, loved flowers so much. But then, Blain wasn't really an outsider. He was just raised as one.

"Where is Blain?" Shayla asked as the car came to a stop. "I can already feel something wrong. There's an evil ambience surrounding the land."

Aftonfelt it, too. And if someone with her lack of powers could sense the evil, it was powerful indeed.

She shivered, but her fears fled when a very tall, massively-built man of about thirty opened the front door of the house and strode toward the car.Afton's mouth went dry. She had never seen a man with shoulders quite so broad. With every step he took in their direction, he exuded a masculinity that was almost tangible. This was a person who physically worked hard every day of his life. Her image of him as a small boy dissipated forever.

What would happen when he found out his parents had been running from the old Sorceress' wrath for years? Without his parents' combined powers, Freyja would have found and killed all of them. It seemed someone was determined to continue that dark ambition.

Hugh helped Shayla out of the car and began the introductions. "Shayla Gallagher, this is my nephew, Blain McTavish."

Aftonwatched the older man's face light up with pride. Surely, there was much to be proud of. Blain was one-hundred percent pure warrior.

"By the stars," Shayla murmured as her hand came to rest within Blain's, "you're the image of your father. But you have Syndra's lovely, gray-green eyes. Hello, Blain."

Blain liked the woman immediately. There was something strong, dignified and trustworthy in the older woman's gray gaze. Though time had weathered her features, her face was uncommonly beautiful. No wonder Hugh had wanted her to come to Harvest for a visit. It seemed his uncle was a sly old fox with an eye for definite femininity, and he wondered if Hugh wouldn't be letting Shayla stay in his bedroom after all.

"Hello, Shayla. I'm so glad you were able to come. Hugh has told me about you." Blain offered his best smile and gently took the hand she held out. The second their palms touched, Blain felt some kind of energy go through his entire body. But the sensation wasn't sickening or debilitating. It actually made him feel stronger and more in command. And he had the strangest feeling that Shayla Gallagher was more than she appeared to be.