Dragon's Moon (26 page)

“Yes,” Mairi barely whispered on a puff of air.

“Now, smell the earth, the dead leaves, the boar who traveled here earlier today, the fern and heather. Let their sun-warmed fragrance fill your senses.”

The scent of Mairi's fear began to dissipate.

“Good. Keep concentrating on the fern and heather.” Two scents found throughout the forest, they would mask Mairi's own without causing any who hunted them to stop and consider.

Mairi continued to breathe deeply, her eyes closed, but her scent was almost completely gone now.

“Now think about that smell surrounding you. Imagine your very skin giving off the perfume of heather, the leafy smell of a fern.”

It worked; Mairi's scent was masked completely by the scents of the forest around them.

No doubt but there is none other beast comparable to the mighty dragon in awesome power and majesty, and few so worthy of the diligent studies of wise men.

—G
ILDAS
M
AGNUS,
A
RS
D
RACONIS

C
iara did not know if the other woman had been able to do this because she had the gift of sight, more of her father's Chrechte blood than she'd ever realized, or simply because any child of a Chrechte could do it.

And it did not matter. All that was of any importance in that moment was that Mairi's scent would not give them away to their enemy.

“Open your eyes now, Mairi.”

The other woman did, their blue depths glazed with her effort to concentrate on masking her scent.

Eirik's head snapped around and he stared at Ciara with shocked question, though he remained silent as a good warrior should.

Ciara smiled, her pride in Mairi's accomplishment warm inside her. She tilted her head toward Mairi to let Eirik know the human had done it, not Ciara. Not that she could have, but perhaps among the Éan such would have been possible.

Eirik narrowed his eyes in acknowledgment but turned around to focus on where he led them.

Ciara leaned sideways to speak in Mairi's ear again. “It is very important you keep your focus on these scents. You are too new at this to maintain the mask on your scent without full concentration.”

Mairi nodded, this time firmly.

Eirik's horse veered to the right and Ciara followed him, nudging Mairi's leg to make sure she did the same. The path narrowed through the trees and Ciara was forced to ride ahead of Mairi, rather than beside her, but the other woman did not slip in her concentration for even a second.

They rode in complete silence for two hours before Eirik put his fist in the air to call them to a halt.

He looked back at them over his shoulder. “We are in no danger of being discovered by the MacLeod soldiers spied from the sky.”

So, the eagle and ravens
had
been on guard duty. No wonder Eirik had been so frustrated with them. More to the point, the Éan had been able to communicate the danger to Eirik.

“You are sure?” Mairi asked in a strained voice, interrupting Ciara's thoughts.

No sooner had Eirik said, “Aye,” than Mairi's entire body sagged and her scent became discernable once again amidst the fragrances of the forest. While it was no longer spiced with fear, there was an undeniable element of relief in it.

She slumped sideways and Ciara caught her before the other woman fell off her horse. Lais was there in a heartbeat, pulling Mairi right onto the blond warrior's lap atop his horse.

“Masking her scent was hard on her.” The healer's concern was apparent, but so was his pride in Mairi's accomplishment. “She did it though, and no wolf to share her soul, either.”

“That she did,” Eirik agreed.

Ciara shook her head at the way the men talked about
Mairi, instead of to her. She reached out and patted Mairi's leg. “You did as well as any wolf.”

Mairi gave her a tired grin. “Really?”

“Most certainly. Better than I the first time I tried to mask my scent.” She did not mention she'd been a child at the time.

Her father had not believed in waiting for the first change to begin training his children in the ways of the Chrechte. Since both her parents had been Faol and their parents before them, there was no question that Ciara or Galen would share their soul with a wolf.

“We have another two hours' ride to the water.” Eirik looked at Mairi. “Do you need to rest?”

She shook her head and Lais said, “She will ride with me.”

Mairi did not argue.

Ciara noted Eirik did not ask
her
if she needed a break and that made her smile. He did not think Ciara weak, despite the toll her dreams had taken on her.

She looked up, taking in the position of the sun. Then she considered what she could see of landmarks around her. Eirik had guided them away from the threat, but with a minimal loss in time to reach the Sinclair boats for crossing the water to Balmoral Island.

It was impressive, though she'd no plans to tell him so. The man had enough confidence in his own abilities without adding her confidence in him to the mix.

He maneuvered his horse so they faced one another, but were side by side. “You did well, teaching Mairi to mask her scent.”

“She made all the effort.”

“No.” He brushed the back of his knuckles along Ciara's cheek, making her want to lean into this touch. “You do not realize it, but as her princess you were able to reach out to the Chrechte within her in a way no one else could have.”

But in a way he understood.

“Is this true?” she could not help asking.

“It is. Among the Éan, those of my family are charged with training the human offspring of our Chrechte brethren.
Not all have equal abilities, but it takes one of the family of the Gra Gealach to draw whatever Chrechte gifts they do have forth.”

“That is amazing.”

“It is. My aunt was charged with it when we lived in the forest. Now that we are spread among the clans, others will have to share the burden.”

“Your aunt came to the Sinclairs?”

“One of them. Fidaich's mother.”

“Oh.” Ciara still had a difficult time seeing herself as some kind of princess, but she thought her father should be made aware of this practice among the Éan. Perhaps the Faol could emulate it.

“Thank you,” Eirik said when the silence had been stretched between them.

Ciara had been lost in thought, but apparently, he was not finished with their conversation.

“Why?”

“I did not want to engage the enemy. Your safety and that of the human seer are of utmost importance.”

“Because of the
Faolchú Chridhe
.” Why did part of her wish there was a more personal component to Eirik's concern?

“We must find it before the MacLeod.”

“Of course.” Ciara should not be disappointed by his answer. She really should not, but her foolish heart ached all the same. “We will.”

“Aye, we will.”

“You are so certain?”

Her words had been spoken more out of hope, but Eirik had sounded like he had seen the future and knew what would come to be. Perhaps as prince of his people, he had.

Though if he saw visions, would he not have told her? “Do you have what Mairi calls the sight as well?”

“Nay, but there is no doubt the
Faolchú Chridhe
calls to you in a way it does no other.”

“How do you know?” Though she herself was certain he spoke the truth, that knowledge an immovable boulder inside her heart.

“'Twould have been found by now otherwise. You have spent seven years denying its call.”

“I was afraid of what it could do.”

“Because you saw only the selfish lust for power your brother exhibited. You did not understand the gift the sacred stone is and should be to all the Faol.”

“No, I did not.” She swallowed and then admitted, “I did not let myself see the selfishness driving my brother, either. I needed to believe he wanted the best for the Faol as well.”

“He was young and deceived. He might yet have come around to understand the power was not meant for a few, but for all.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Eirik shrugged and Ciara had to suppress a smile. He was much like her adopted father in some ways.

“We will wait to take to the sky until we see Lais and Mairi safely launched on the water,” Eirik said, clearly done with the other subject.

“All right.”

“You are being very agreeable.”

She shrugged. It was not her way to disagree for the sake of argument; if he thought otherwise, she could not help that.

W
hen they arrived at the water, the eagle shifter was there to greet them. He bowed his head toward Eirik and grasped Lais's arm in a warrior's greeting.

“Where are Fidaich and Canaul?” Ciara asked Eirik.

“I sent them back to the Sinclair so they could tell him about the MacLeod soldiers on his land.”

“What will he do?” Mairi asked worriedly, seemingly oblivious to the implication behind Eirik's claim to have sent the ravens away when they had never come out of the sky.

“He will send Niall and a group of Chrechte soldiers with him to confront the interlopers,” Ciara replied when it became apparent none of the warriors intended to do so.

Her father would not take a rival clan's trespass on their
lands lightly. Niall would be on a mission to teach the foolish soldiers a lesson as well as bring them to heel.

Lais added, “Those who survive the encounter will be taken to the Sinclair.”

Ciara wanted to kick him for his
helpfulness
. Mairi had gone gray. She might not want to return to her father's clan, but that did not mean Mairi had no concern for her former clansmen. She understood, as Ciara did, that the soldiers may only be guilty of following their laird's orders.

“Will he ransom them back to my father?” Mairi asked with a tremble in her voice. “I do not think he will pay, even for a Chrechte warrior.”

Though it was not an unheard-of practice between rival clans to demand payment for the return of those caught in battle (and to kill those the laird refused to pay for, or sell them into slavery), Ciara knew it was not something her father would do. Not unless there was a circumstance in which Talorc
wanted
to return a clan soldier. Then he might demand ransom.

“If he finds them worthy, my father will give them the opportunity to pledge allegiance to him as clan chief and pack alpha.”

“Truly?” Mairi asked with hope.

“My father is a Chrechte of great honor.”

Eirik grunted. “He is at that.”

“What will Laird Sinclair do if the soldiers won't pledge him their loyalty?” Mairi asked, sounding as if she really did not want the answer.

“He will probably give them over to Niall to beat some honor into them.” Life in the Highlands was not so civilized as their king would like to believe.

Ignorant of his long-distance Chrechte heritage, King David had been heavily influenced by his years in England. Still, he was considered a good leader by most of his people. Although, while his Highland lairds were as loyal to him as they would be any king, they did not share his fascination with the English way of life.

Mairi flinched, her eyes filled with horror. “That is barbaric.”

“A man beating his daughter almost to death is
barbaric
,” Eirik said with disgusted conviction. “An honorable wolf teaching another how to live in the true Chrechte way is
necessary
.”

“Do not worry yourself,” Lais said with a pat on Mairi's shoulder. “Depending on how committed to your father's orders they are, the soldiers may not survive their first encounter with Niall at all.”

Ciara had to stifle an amused snicker at the eagle's attempt at comforting Mairi. For a healer, he was awfully bloodthirsty.

Taking pity on the other woman, Ciara said, “Niall is a great warrior. He does not have to kill an enemy to win a fight.”

Mairi's smile of relief had barely formed when Lais said, “But he's not a warrior to balk at killing, either. He knows when it is better to end a life than prolong it. Even when that life is Chrechte.”

By the look Lais gave her, Ciara knew the words were as much for her sake as they were for Mairi. More so, if he had a brain in his head.

Warriors!

He wanted her to understand and accept Eirik's actions seven years ago in the forest, she comprehended that. But did he comprehend the impact his words had on the human woman standing before him, looking so frightened and tired?

Ciara did not think so.

Besides, as unexpected as she might find her own feelings, Ciara found that she had already come to terms with Eirik's actions. The dragon was protector of his people. Whether Galen had to die was not a point for discussion any longer. The fact was, he did die and not as innocently as she had once tried to make herself believe, either.