The Scottish Selkie (25 page)
Read The Scottish Selkie Online
Authors: Cornelia Amiri (Celtic Romance Queen)
“Bethoc, I am so happy. I cannot believe I have a son.”
“He is beautiful, is he not?” The babe’s flesh felt so smooth and warm in her arms and glow of blissful happiness flowed through her.
“Yes, Talorc is a true child of the new kingdom of Alba.” Malcolm declared.
Joy gushed through her every pore, joint, and muscle. “Life is incredible.”
Cradling Talorc in her arms, Bethoc's head swung lazily to the side to rest against her husband’s broad shoulder. “As incredible as you, Malcolm. In both the land and the sea.”
—The End—
Author’s Note
Though I have interwoven Celtic lore and mythology into this action-filled romance it is rich with historical fact and detail. The bow-wielding Pict Princess, Bethoc and the dark warrior/sea creature, Malcolm sprung from my imagination but Kenneth, his Gaelic name was Cinaed, and his brother Donald and the Pict earls were very real. An even stranger fact is during the long reign of the Mac Alpins, rumors abounded of selkies among them.
My tale began amid the turbulent power play between the ruling Picts and the Scot king Kenneth Mac Alpin. This legendary massacre depicted in the first chapter is known as Mac Alpin’s treason. Kenneth’s move to unite the Picts and Scots under his rule is seen by historians as a great advantage to Scotland as it prevented the Vikings from taking a hold on the country as they did in Ireland.
Donald reigned after Kenneth and both ruled wisely. Kenneth is often considered the first king of Scotland. He did move the Lia Fail from Dalriada to Scone where it remained until King Edward I took it as a spoil of war in 1296, seven hundred years ago. He fitted it into a wooden throne and English sovereigns have been crowned upon it ever since. In 1328 in the Treaty of Northampton the English agreed to return the stone to Scotland, however it was not until 1996 the stone of destiny was returned and transported to Edinburgh Castle where it remains along with the crown jewels of Scotland. There is some controversy about this legend, some believe that no part of the Lia Fail ever left Ireland at all, and some believe that Edward I was tricked and the stone he took was fake and the real Stone of Destiny is hidden in Scotland.
In the fragmentary Annals of Ireland a verse has come down to us from ages past lamenting Kenneth's death, and showing us how beloved he was.
“858 K1. Cinaed son of Alpin, King of the Picts, died. It was of him that the quatrain was said: Because Cinaed with many troops lives no longer, there is weeping in every house; there is no king of his worth under heaven as far as the borders of Rome.
The fragmentary Annals of Ireland can be read online at
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100017.html
About The Author
Cornelia Amiri is the author of 12 published books, she has researched the ancient Celts for over fifteen years and primarily writes Celtic/Paranormal/Romances of long swords, hot heroes, and warrior women. If you like Steampunk look for her Steampunk/Romances under her pen name of Maeve Alpin. She writes and resides in the sultry, southern city of Houston, as does her wonderful son and granddaughter.
Other books by Cornelia Amiri:
The Fox Prince
by
Cornelia Amiri
The Vixen Princess
by
Cornelia Amiri
Peace Love Music
by
Cornelia Amiri
The Wolf and The Druidess
by
Cornelia Amiri
As Timeless As Stone
by
Maeve Alpin
(Steampunk)
Queen of Kings
by
Cornelia Amiri
Timeless Voyage
by
Cornelia Amiri
A Fine Cauldron of Fish
by
Cornelia Amiri
One Heart One Way
by
Cornelia Amiri
Steampunk/Romances under her pen name – Maeve Alpin
·
As Timeless As Stone
by
Maeve Alpin
·
To Love A London Ghost
by
Maeve Alpin
Anthologies with short stories by Cornelia Amiri:
Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks
Please visit her websites
http://CelticRomanceQueen.com
and
http://MaeveAlpin.com
for more information on her books, they are all available for reading on the kindle and the nook as well as other formats and most are available in print.
Cornelia loves to hear from my fans, you can reach her at:
The Scottish Selkie is about the Picts during the time of Kenneth Mac Alpin, if you’d like to read more about the Picts, Druid Bride is set during the time of the Romance Governor Agricola.
Available now from Eternal Press
Druid Bride
by Cornelia Amiri
Chapter One
The empty eye sockets of the white, weathered skull peered at Tanwen from the timber gate. She turned to the druid couple, Rhys and Sulwen. “I accept my destiny.”
Rhys nodded his gray head. “But we do not send you alone. These brave Silure warriors shall guard you well, at all times.” He pointed his gnarled hand to a short, muscular woman with spirals of blue woad painted on her face. “Huctia, take care of her.” Then, he gestured to a man with the swarthy skin and curly black hair of the Silure tribe. “Gethin, guard her well.”
The two warriors bobbed their dark heads.
“It pains me, too,” Druidess Sulwen’s wrinkled hand patted Tanwen’s shoulder in comfort, “to see you go.”
Tanwen’s copper hair whipped her face as her gold-speckled and white cloak flapped loudly in the wind. She flung her arms around Sulwen’s shoulders and squeezed tight. “I will never see you, again.”
When Tanwen pulled back, Sulwen said, “We will miss you greatly, but your destiny awaits.” Her eyes were moist with tears.
Rhys’s gnarled fingers curled around Tanwen’s smooth hands. “Your future lies elsewhere, in Caledonia. Tanwen ferch Wena ferch Boudica, child of sacred fire, the gods are with you. Elen of the Ways will guard your path on your quest, and we send our finest warriors to aid you.”
“I am ready.” Tanwen lifted the skirts of her blue novice robe and druid cloak as she headed down the steep rock path, putting space between her and the Silure hill fort.
All the way to the shore, she heard the footsteps of her two warriors close behind. Tanwen took a deep breath and stepped into the small, ox hide boat, as did Huctia and Gethin. “We shall travel down the coast and walk the rest of the way to the Caledonii village.”
Gethin rowed, focusing his gaze on Tanwen. “Druidess, do you go to Caledonia to gain allies to battle the Romans?”
The hope she saw in his eyes hurt, because her words would crush it. “No, the battle here is over. If we keep fighting, there will be no Celts left in Britannia.”
“Now that Romans have taken the land of the southern Caledonian tribes, a new battle begins.” Huctia drew back on the wooden oar, then pushed forward.
“Druidess, if there is any tribe who can keep their land free of the Romans, it is the Caledonii. Chief Calach is as brave and strong a warrior as Boudica herself,” Gethin said with a firm set of his chin.
Tanwen smiled back. “You believe Calach can halt the Romans?”
“I do.” A spark of conviction gleamed in Gethin’s brown eyes.
Tanwen clasped her knees to her chest as the small boat gently rocked back and forth. “I go to Caledonia to wed Calach’s son.” She swallowed, then added, “The spirit of Boudica
declared this my destiny.”
Neither of the guards questioned this, as they both spoke to their ancestors daily.
Gethin nodded. “It is good. As a druidess, you will be welcomed there.”
Huctia leaned closer to Tanwen. “What type of man is Calach’s son?”
Images sped through her mind. One of a young, tall, muscular man with a generous mouth, a straight nose, and long, auburn hair. Next, she envisioned a short, pudgy man with kind eyes and a humorously bulbous nose. She then imagined a small-boned man of medium height with a sensitive face and dark hair. Suddenly that image faded, and she thought of a big and powerful man who towered over everyone. “I know not.”
“You know nothing of him?” Gethin’s brow furrowed.
“I’ve been told little.” Her body had vibrated with energy she couldn’t contain when her grandmother’s spirit had appeared to her in the Cave of Draigs. Eye to eye with the ghost of the warrior queen, Tanwen had accepted her destiny...to wed Calach’s son. “He has not been told of me at all.”
“Only that he is to wed you?” Gethin pulled out a leather bag of grain cakes and an ale skin.
A jolt of hunger shot through Tanwen at the biting scent of ale and the homey aroma of oat cakes. “Boudica sends me to wed him. There is no betrothal agreement. Neither he nor his father know I am coming. Nor that I wish to marry him.”
Gethin’s eyes grew wide. “This will be a surprise, then.” He handed an oat cake to Tanwen.
“Yes.”
This is madness,
she thought
. What if Calach’s son is already wed?
“I must heed the wisdom of my ancestors. Boudica would not send me to wed him if it was not to be.” Her stomach churned. She swayed with the rocking of the tiny boat.