Forever Doon (30 page)

R
ally at the Brig o' Doon!”

The cyclones had cleared away the majority of the fungus, making a path for us. Jamie and Duncan raced among the people shouting orders and lending a hand while those able began to make their way toward the bridge.

I dashed across the field alongside my best friend, doing my best not to have a clumsy moment on account of the uneven terrain. As we neared the tree line, someone shouted, “Incoming!”

Acting on impulse, I stopped to look at the magic bomb hurtling through the sky.
Duck and cover!
my addled brain shouted at me. And I did. I dropped to the ground and wrapped my arms over my head.

What are you doing?
Vee demanded.
Get up!

She hoisted me up from the ground, but it was too late. The bomb was headed right for us. Quite suddenly, a bolt of lightning cut through the heavens like a missile and intercepted the bomb. The sky exploded in a shower of purple and white fireworks.

“Holy Hammerstein!”

“You can say that again,” Vee murmured.

A second witch bomb flew toward us, only to be stopped by another lightning bolt. As sparks fizzled around us, a bloodcurdling screech rose from the opposite end of the clearing. Although the hair on my arms stood on end, I couldn't help reveling in the moment. “Guess Addie wasn't expecting that freak storm.”

Vee grinned back at me. “Guess not. To the bridge!”

Doonians took the lead, escorting Destined through the tree line toward the bridge.

Jamie and Duncan waited for us within the cover of the forest. As Vee and I approached, Duncan said, “The people are spent.”

“An' many are injured,” Jamie added.

Ignoring the sinking feeling in my chest, I pasted a cheerful expression on my face. “Fiona told me that the journey wouldn't be easy.”

“That I did,” Fiona called as she and Fergus came up from behind. Next to them were Sofia and Gabby Rosetti, each with an arm around Oliver.

When Vee saw Oliver, she frowned. “You're injured. You should be back at the church.”

“And miss all the fun, Your Highness?” He grinned, and for the first time I saw the Aussie's resemblance to Iron Man. Other Rosettis guided a group of Destined, including Cheska, who grinned like Ralphie in
A Christmas Story
despite the fact that her head had been wrapped in an improvised plaid bandage.

Vee searched the crowds, standing on her toes to see through the people. “I don't see Ewan.”

Taking her hand, I tugged her forward, giving her a reassurance I didn't feel. “I'm sure he's around, but right now we have a bigger problem to solve.”

“You're right. We'll find him later.”

As exhausted and wounded people rallied around their queen, Vee turned to Jamie, Duncan, and me. “How should we do this? Should we split up or go together?”

As I contemplated the distance we still had to travel to reach the bridge, an involuntary groan slipped from my mouth. “I don't suppose we could ask for another miracle? Like the ability to wiggle our noses and automatically appear at the bridge.”

Vee took my hand. “I don't see why not.”

I glared at her, wondering just how many skellie hits to the head she's sustained during the battle, but she laughed. “Just hear me out.”

Then she clapped her hands, gathering the people to her in a tight cluster. “We're tired, and even as we stand here the witch is rallying. As you've heard, we're going to break the Covenant that keeps Doon protected. We believe it's the best chance to make Adelaide mortal.”

“Won't that kill us all?” someone shouted as heads nodded all around us.

Vee shook her head. “We don't believe so. The Protector knows our intent. We must have faith.”

I looked about at the dirty, bloodied faces regarding their queen with subdued hope. In addition to being frightened, they were exhausted. “I think we should try to use the Rings of Aontacht to transport us to the bridge.”

Vee slipped back into full ruler mode. “Everyone close your eyes,” she instructed. I slipped my hand into hers and clamped my eyes shut, focusing on my bestie's voice. “Picture all your family and friends, all the new Destined, the children and older people in the caves—everyone you can think of. Now picture us all standing on the riverbank at the Brig o' Doon.”

Eyes closed, I felt our rings heat up. Then I could hear the
River Doon rushing by. Duncan gasped and I blinked into his astonished face. We were standing at the mouth of the Brig o' Doon, not just those of us that moments ago had been gathered in the forest, but also the Doonians from the cave.

Next to him, Jamie scooped Vee into his arms and spun her in a circle. “You did it, love!”

“We did it.” She pressed her lips to Jamie's in a brief kiss before turning to me. “Ready to bring Doon into a new age?”

Even as I nodded my agreement, confusion puckered my brows. “But, what if we don't—”

“Ken.” Vee placed her hand on my shoulder. “Don't even say it. The Protector's brought us this far. We have to trust, even when we can't see the outcome.”

I nodded, pushing away the suspicion that breeching Doon's borders would kill us all in order to focus on a more positive outcome. “How will this work exactly? What are we going say to explain Doon appearing in the middle of modern Scotland? What if Castle MacCrae gets turned into a theme park like Harry Potter World?”

“I have no idea. But if this is what it takes to defeat Addie once and for all, Doon becoming the next Disney World is a price I'm willing to pay.” She dropped her hand from my shoulder and slipped Aunt Gracie's ring off her finger. “Now, take off your uncle Cameron's ring and slip it into your pocket.”

Hoping she knew what she was talking about, I did as she instructed.

“Everyone, join hands.” With me on one side and Jamie on the other, she intertwined our fingers. I, in turn, grasped Duncan's. As he fit his hand into mine, he reached over and captured my face. Time stopped as his lips pressed against mine in a kiss that was at the same time savage and heartbreakingly sweet.

When the kiss came to an end, he whispered, “Forever.”

“And ever,” I agreed. I gave him a final, quick peck and then as he reached for Alasdair, I turned to my best friend. “I love you, Vee.”

She squeezed the heck out of my hand and smirked. “I know.”

Vee looked left and then right at the united line of Destined and Doonians stretching along the riverbank as far as the eye could see in both directions. “On the count of three,” she announced, patiently waiting as the word spread down the line.

“Ready? One . . . Two . . . Three . . . FOR DOON!”

We stepped forward. Duncan, Jamie, Vee, Alasdair, and I walked onto the Brig o' Doon, which, from the kingdom side, ended mid-arch in ruins. The others stopped at the very edge of the river. Mist began to form on the surface of the water, becoming as thick as a winter whiteout in seconds. With a rumble, it devoured everything around us. It swirled around our legs, blocking out the ground and swallowing the sounds of the river.

On the far side of Duncan, Alasdair groaned. Searching his face in the fog, I wondered at how much older he looked. Seeming to be in intense pain, Alasdair's clear, blue eyes shone with joy. “Thank ye, lad,” he said to Duncan. “For bringing me home one last time.”

The old man's voice bore the evidence of strain as he turned to Vee. “Yer Highness, it's been a pleasure to fight alongside o' you. Yer a credit to our kingdom.”

With those words, the suspended man disintegrated into the mist, trapped between worlds no longer. Had Alasdair known that this would happen when he suggested that we breach the borders? Was this the sacrifice he'd been prepared to pay? I clung tightly to Duncan and Vee, praying that this was not the end, but a new beginning.

T
he mist churned in opaque swirls, a sudden wind sweeping Alasdair MacCrae's remains away as if he'd never existed. I squeezed Jamie's hand, and then Mackenna's, as Duncan looped an arm around her shoulders. I didn't need to hear their voices in my head to know we were all thinking the same thing:
Are we next?

Kenna's gaze met mine as her lips tilted in a tremulous smile. “See you on the other side, bestie.”

I didn't know if she meant in the modern world or somewhere beyond. My experiences in Doon had proved to me the undeniable existence of a greater being who loved and cared for us. Therefore, I didn't fear death. But I wasn't ready. I had so much more living to do—a kingdom to rebuild with the boy I loved, with our family and friends around us. I'd pictured our future children more times than I cared to admit. We'd have twins; a little girl with my coloring and a little boy with soulful brown eyes, dimples, and golden hair. Our daughter would boss him around, but the little prince would take it
in stride. My throat constricted at the thought of the life we could've had.

But even if this was the end, I took comfort in the hope that since Alasdair was gone, that meant Adelaide Blackmore Cadell had most likely disintegrated into the earth along with the bones of her skellies.

The fog shifted, the breeze stinging my tear-filled eyes. Jamie squeezed my hand as a gust of cool, sweet-smelling wind pushed down on our heads and the mist parted to reveal a wide expanse of blue sky. Releasing my friends, I spun around, staring up at the soft orange glow of the sun's fiery rays peeking through the clouds. My ears began to buzz, accompanied by a low rumble vibrating in my chest. “Do you hear that?”

Without waiting for the others to reply, I backtracked across the stones, onto the spongy earth of Doon, and whirled around. A cylindrical shadow moved across the ground, then tilted, revealing its wings. I threw my head back, just as the plane flew over and I stumbled forward. In the distance, gleaming white turrets rose into the sky, framed by gray, snow-capped mountains. Just visible on the far side of the bridge a lamppost glowed with electricity. Doon on one side and the modern world on the other—we'd done it!

I turned around to run back to the riverbank and congratulate the others, but froze mid-step. The Witch of Doon stood before me, alive in all her terrifying glory.

A wall of solid indigo vapor fell like a curtain behind her, blocking me from my friends on the bridge and the others on the riverbank. Immediately, I sent out a frantic call to Kenna and Jamie, but received no response. Another unexpected sacrifice of breaking the Covenant; our Calling connection had been severed.

Addie's face had further disintegrated, the flesh appearing
to melt off her bones. She raised her hands and magic swirled in her palms. “Well, well, little queen, we meet one last time.”

“Why are you still here?” I marched toward her, fuming that we'd merged Doon with the modern world and yet she still lived. “You should be dust!”

She sauntered forward, the violet sparks growing into orbs. “My magic has sustained me for a millennia. Do ye really think yer little trick could finish me off?” She threw her head back and let out a cackle like icicles shattering on concrete.

Shoving my hand into my pocket, I slipped on the ring and whispered a quick prayer of protection. But when I raised my hand, nothing happened. The ruby remained as lifeless as an ordinary stone.

“That willna work, Queenie,” Addie goaded as she moved closer. “Ye've broken the Covenant, ye see. You're just a weak little human.”

The ring would be of no use to me now. But if its power was no longer viable, Alasdair had been right. I squared my shoulders and stared into the face of evil personified. “Then magic will leave you too. You're dying, Addie.”

The spell in her palms pulsed, and then faded. She grimaced and pushed her hands against the air, the violet sputtering before it blazed again. “Just a temporary setback.”

Her lidless eyeballs glowed purple, giving me the warning I needed before she hurtled a globe of fire. I threw myself to the ground, tucked, and rolled. As I peeked up, something moved out of the corner of my eye, but before I could get a good look she threw the second orb. I scrambled to the right, the magic catching the hem of my cloak and sizzling up the fabric. I unhooked the fastening and stood, dropping it to the ground.

I frantically searched the curtain for help, but it was as if every last Doonian had disappeared. So it would be a showdown
to see if I could outwit her long enough for her magic to fade for good.

Addie's whole body trembled and she chanted into her hands, the bones of her fingers poked through the end of her flesh as she worked to summon another blast of magic.

Emboldened by her growing weakness, I circled, staying on my toes, ready to dodge her next attack. “It's over, Addie. But it's not too late to turn from evil. Make the right choice before it's too late.”

With an unearthly wail, she leveled her hand at my chest. Suddenly, I couldn't move, only watch in horror as she lifted her other hand to the sky. Purple-black lightning flashed into her palm and her mouth twisted into a lipless gargoyle smile. “I suppose I should thank you for breakin' the Covenant. Ye see, while it protected Doon, I couldna touch you—well, not the way I wanted to. But now, let's jus' say it's a dream o' mine about ta come true.

“Ye've been a worthy adversary, Veronica Welling. In fact, yer soul is so strong and pure that once I drink it and take over yer body, not even your delicious prince's kiss will be able to tell the difference.”

I strained against her hold with every ounce of will I possessed. No way would I let her take my soul and steal my identity! But I couldn't even move a finger. My chest tightened as cold sweat dripped down my back.

Addie stepped closer, her voice a gravely hiss. “And when an infant mysteriously dies every six months, we'll chalk it up to natural causes. No one needs to know their sweet little souls will sustain me and fuel my magic until I'm restored to my former power . . . It's worked verra well for me the last millennia.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “The beauty of it all is that I won't even need to take Doon. When I'm you, those simpletons will just hand it over to me.”

Even as she boasted, her arm shook, the purple lightning she held in her hand flickering. While her power faltered, strength surged back into my muscles. I lunged, scrambling to the right and heading for the cover of the nearby trees. But she froze me again mid-leap.

“Appears my fun is endin'. Or should I say yours!” she crowed in triumph. “Adieu, Queenie. I'll enjoy livin' yer life, wi' relish!”

She lowered her arm and electricity shot from her hand. I braced myself for death as a body flew in front of me, the bolt slamming into him as he fell.

Addie shrieked.

In that instant, my movement returned, and I flung myself to the ground beside the boy who'd sacrificed himself for me. Ewan Murray's summer-green eyes stared lifelessly at the clear sky.
No. No, no . . . Not Ewan!
Not the passionate, energetic boy with the mischievous smile and enormous heart. Not my friend.

My eyes traced his body for any signs of life and I noticed a huge gash in his right side—not from magic, but a blade. The injury must have put him a few minutes behind the rest of us. Now he was dead.

Because of me.

Tears flooded my eyes as a scream built in my chest like thunder. Grabbing the dagger from Ewan's belt, I sprang forward and flung the blade. In slow motion, it flew end over end toward the witch. Addie's lipless mouth widened in a scream. Her hands moved frantically as she tried to summon magic that she no longer possessed.

The blade hit her square in the chest, knocking her back on her feet. Impossibly, she stayed upright and stumbled forward, arms out, eyes wide. “Ye think . . . a blade can . . . stop me . . . how quaint.”

I tripped backward, unable to look away from the black sludge bubbling out of her chest. With effort, she brought her hands together to form a ball of magic. Terrified that she'd already drained Ewan's soul and regenerated her power, I turned to run just as she toppled back.

Stunned, I stared for long minutes. Waiting. When she didn't move, I crept over to her body on wobbly legs. I reached her just as the last breath shuddered from her chest and her head lolled to the side, my gold filigree and ruby crown falling into the grass. I reached for it and then drew back. Addie had commissioned that crown for herself—it had never been mine.

I took a step back and waited for her to disintegrate or melt, or whatever wicked witches in Doon did after they were dead. I had to see it. Had to be sure she was gone for good. And I wasn't disappointed.

A sharp sound rent the air, like a pickax cutting rock, and the ground began to tremble. I stumbled back as dark forms, blacker than a starless night, emerged from the ground. Their shapes continually changed in a morphing impression of horns, gnashing teeth, and vicious claws, so that I couldn't focus on them individually. They howled and it was as if all sound left the earth.

Before the scream of terror could escape my throat, the indigo curtain collapsed and my friends rushed into Doon calling my name.

I turned back as the demons sunk their fangs into the witch's arms and legs, lifting her into the air. Unlike Alasdair's majestic end, they forced her body into the ground with an earth-shattering boom that I felt in my soul.

And just like that, the Witch of Doon was gone. Forever.

I raced to meet my loved ones and threw myself into Jamie's arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. Over his shoulder, I
saw the beautiful face of my best friend. We reached out and linked our fingers. “I killed the witch, Ken.”

“I saw those demon-things take her down,” she replied with a shudder. “How did you do it?”

“She ran out of magic and I threw a knife into her chest. But . . . but Ewan . . . he died saving me.” Tears burned my throat as I said, “We need to take him back to the castle. Give him a proper hero's send-off.”

“Of course, love.” Jamie's arms tightened around me as I watched Doonians and the Destined flood off the Brig o' Doon. Around them, people still on the bridge snapped pictures and held up their phones—likely taking video. “The modern world can see us?”

Jamie set me on my feet and I met his penetrating gaze. “Aye. 'Tis the price we must pay. But watchin' those devils drag the witch to the underworld will make the sacrifice worthwhile.”

He was right, of course, but that didn't stop the deep sadness filling my chest. It was over. Our fairy-tale kingdom would become nothing more than a tourist destination. I could almost see the advertisements replete with dancing highlanders in plaid pants and tams.
Come see the mythical Brigadoon come to life!

Proving that we still shared a brain, if not a Calling, Kenna commented, “I was right, wasn't I? Doon's going to become the next Harry Potter World.”

Duncan placed a hand on her shoulder, his mouth dropping open as his eyes flared. “I wouldna be so sure.” As I turned to follow his gaze, the blast of trumpets filled the air, their sound so mighty and unexpected that my knees buckled beneath me.