Stone Heart (18 page)

"The men you see are faction or clan leaders, though I am unsure who they represent," Angus murmured. "I believe it is their intention to make sure I mean no harm."

"Of course you don't," she responded. "Why would they think that?"

He shrugged. "My reputation precedes me, and my size makes me a threat. If the situation was reversed, I would feel the same."

She noted the men's expressions. They
were
concerned.

They spoke to one another and critically eyed Angus as though he were being sized up. One of them, a tall man with long, blond hair, rested his hand upon a wicked knife sheathed at his side. He and the two megaliths beside him were dressed in the same medieval garb as Angus. Many of the people there were similarly attired. Had she not known better, Karen would have believed she'd stumbled into a troop of Renaissance actors.

They walked about halfway across the clearing and stopped. Angus knew that if the lions of the Order were going 156

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to pounce, this was where it would occur. The Sorceress could only guarantee their safety if the others feared or revered her enough to do her bidding. And while his safety was of no concern, no one would hurt Karen. He had power of his own and would use it. It might be that the three men before him sensed this. From the stances they took, they mistakenly perceived his protection of Karen as a direct threat to them and the rest of the Order. The numbers of their kind had increased since he was last among them, though he saw only what they chose to present in human form. That fact came as no surprise since Karen was an outsider.

"Do you come among us in peace?" Shayla asked as she stepped in front of the men. Her powers over air and wind magnified her voice so that all could hear.

"Aye," Angus replied, using those same powers in response. He felt Karen flinch and tightened his hold on her arm. He knew she stared up at him and was only just remembering he had powers, too.

"You have once spoken fealty. I will ask you again in the presence of this company." Shayla paused. "By your blood, do you swear allegiance to me and to the Order?"

"I so swear."

"
So be it. Blessed Be.
" Shayla raised her hands, the wind rose and blew through the trees around them then slowly died.

The Sorceress turned to the three men behind her and Hugh stepped forward. "Do the honors and present our leaders, Hugh."

Hugh nodded, then motioned the blond man forward.

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Karen could see he was about Angus' age. His bare arms were muscular and his gymnast-like build indicated a man of immense strength and agility.

"This is Lore. He is head of the Fairy Clan. You will see him in his true form tonight, Karen."

Lore held out his hand and smiled the sweetest smile she'd ever seen. "Shayla has told us about you. You've shown courage coming here. And courage is greatly admired among our kind."

"You're a
Fairy
?" she gasped and gawked at his wall-like frame. When the others laughed, she bit her lip in consternation. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so incredibly ignorant. It's just that I thought Fairies would be ... well..."

"Small?" The second of the three men finished for her and stepped forward.

"This is Gryphon O'Connor, leader of the Druid Clan." Hugh waved his hand toward the new man.

Gryphon took Karen's hand and grinned. "You'll meet my handfasted mate later. She'll be helping you with our computer files."

Karen liked this new man immediately. Where Lore's coloring reminded her of shining sun, this man's darkness personified midnight itself. "Handfasted?" she asked in bewilderment.

"My wife," Gryphon supplied. "That's how we refer to our life mates here." Gryphon turned to the third man and paused for a moment. "This is Tearach."

Karen didn't miss the hesitation in the large Druid's introduction. She turned toward the last of the giant men 158

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before her. Where the others had been more than friendly, pure hatred emanated from this man. Black straight hair fell in ebony thickness from a center part and long bangs all but covered his midnight eyes. His jaw was square and his face indicated that it might have been a very long time since he'd ever smiled. But for his dour expression, he'd have been as breathtakingly handsome as the others. But there was a brooding, haunted quality about him which darkened the lighter mood of those who stood nearby. Tearach stepped forward, but didn't hold out his hand as the others had.

"I'm Tearach Bruce, leader of the Goblin Clan." He looked at Shayla before continuing. "I'm here at the Sorceress'

request
."

Obviously, the last part of his statement was emphasized to let everyone present know he wasn't there of his own free will. Karen wondered why he'd bothered coming at all if her presence or Angus' was so offensive to him.

Angus sensed the man's animosity and immediately stepped in front of Karen. "We have the Sorceress' promise of protection."

"Yes, they do," Shayla pronounced in a clear voice.

"I'll abide by her wishes. But the southernmost part of the forest is allocated for Goblin use only. Our sacred ponds are off limits to ...
outsiders
," Tearach said as he looked Angus up and down then barely glanced at Karen. He rudely turned his back on them. "I have pressing business which needs my attention, Sorceress. With your permission?"

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Shayla nodded. Tearach and several other men and women strode swiftly away from the big clearing. They walked into the woods without a backward glance.

Shayla sighed in resignation before speaking. "Forgive his rudeness. I counseled him about his behavior, but as far as greeting people properly is concerned, I'm afraid what you've been subjected to is the best he can do. You need not fear him. If that man says he will abide by my wishes, then he will. He's one of my most trusted guardians."

Karen was overwhelmed when the rest of the forest denizens circled around them and offered hearty greetings.

The dark moment surrounding the Goblin's dour presence might never have occurred.

Angus wondered what the members of the Order knew about him, if the Sorceress had enlightened them as to all the reasons why he had been turned to stone. But there was plenty of time to forge his own future. For now, Karen's plight was what concerned him most.

Shayla, Hugh and the others led them to wooden tables which had been set under the shade of oak and rowan trees.

Food had been set out in a traditional banquet of welcome.

Angus remembered the custom had been honored in his own time, and he fought back thoughts of how there must have been an abundant supply of provisions here while his own parents suffered. He shook his head, trying to drive away memories of things best left dead. As though she sensed some of his feelings, Shayla came to him and placed a gentle hand upon his right arm.

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"Merry come," she greeted him in the ancient way. "Bitter thoughts produce a bitter harvest. This is your home now, Angus. These are your people. We'll help you relearn our ways and take your place among us. Stay close to Karen. She won't understand much of what she'll see. And, when she's well rested, I'll take you both to the estate house and she can begin her computer work there."

"The old place still stands?" he asked in wonder.

"With a few improvements, yes. Druid ancestors handed the building down from one generation to the next. It's currently owned by the fifty-first Earl of Glen Rowan. Of course, no one knows he's a Druid or that he comes from a long line of them."

"No' even the King, himself?"

"Not even the
Queen
," she corrected. "To outsiders, the Earl is simply a titled subject of her majesty, enjoying his lands and holdings. And sharing them with reclusive friends."

"You must be powerful indeed to have kept the secret of the Order for all this time. Especially when so many new machines exist in the world." He paused before continuing. "I have but recently become familiar with indoor plumbing."

Shayla laughed and patted his arm. "Eat hearty, Angus.

And try to get Karen to do the same. The woman is far too thin."

"Aye," he nodded in agreement as the Sorceress walked away. Then he looked toward Karen. She was sitting by Pluck with her head tilted toward the little man, intrigued by some story Pluck told her. She placed her elbows on the table, cupped her small face in her hands and nodded at something 161

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he said. Her eyes danced with happiness. Her waiflike appearance made him want to protect her all the more. A young Fairy sat down near her. The blond man was about Karen's own age, and he offered her a goblet of wine.

"No!"
Angus shouted before he could think. "You must no'

drink Fairy Wine, Karen. No'
ever
. It does strange things to those bereft of magic. Even Druids find drinking it unwise."

He quickly walked toward her and took the wine away.

"It wasn't Fairy Wine, MacGregor," the younger man quietly replied. "It's a measure of heather ale and was brought specifically for Karen." The Fairy looked at Angus meaningfully.

Angus realized the drink had been meant to help Karen's heart problem. Shayla had probably ordered it. Glancing around, he could see everyone staring at him. Some bore expressions of annoyance. Probably because he would think a Fairy would give the girl something so potent. Others shook their heads and looked as if he had just broken some sacred rite of hospitality by shouting so.

"I am sorry, friend. My mouth sometimes governs my thoughts," he apologized and handed the goblet back to Karen.

"No worries." The Fairy nodded in acceptance of the apology. "I'm Wade. I belong to the tribe of Cairn Fairies."

Angus shook the man's hand. Everyone appeared to go back to their eating, drinking and merrymaking. Angus sat across the table from Karen and passed her and the younger man a plate of fruit and cheese.

"What's Fairy Wine?" Karen glanced between the two men.

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"It's magical and only drunk by our kind," Wade explained.

"Depending upon the season, all kinds of herbs, fruit and spices are fermented to make it. And Angus is right. You should never drink any. But heather ale won't hurt you at all.

In fact, you might find it relaxes you a bit."

Karen glanced at the goblet she now held.
What the hell
. It wasn't as if it would cause her heart problems. She grasped the pewter goblet and sipped. "This is wonderful. Where does the heather come from?"

"The Highlands, of course. There's no better plant for the fermentation of this particular drink," Wade smiled and cut a large portion of bread for her.

"How is it that each of you knows what the other is?"

Karen asked. "I mean, everyone looks just like anyone else in the world. Yet you seem to know who's Fairy or Druid."

Wade shrugged. "We can sense each other's emanations.

To you, I guess it would be like feeling certain vibes. You just sort of ...
know
." He laughed at her look of confusion. "Sorry, I don't know how to explain it any better than that."

Angus tried to compare the matter to something he knew of the outside world. Something Karen might more readily understand, even if she had never had the experience herself.

"'Tis like when you canna' trust someone, lass. It is
instinct
."

Karen nodded. There were people she'd met, like Tearach Bruce, who just didn't give her the warm fuzzies. That was the kind of instinct they were probably speaking of. Except, of course,
their
elemental feelings had been augmented to recognize magical attributes.

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Angus watched the people milling around him and filled a large mug with stout. He felt the coolness of the pottery as it rested against his palm. Then he paused to get a smell of it before drinking the whole thing down. "'Tis a verra' long time since last I had a good brew."

"Do you like it?" Wade asked.

"'Tis a fine drink," Angus grinned and refilled the mug.

For a time, they ate in companionable silence. Pluck occasionally walked by and refilled Karen's mug. The Fairy was right about the heather ale. Karen felt more relaxed than she had in a very long time. Eating even seemed more enjoyable. She ate more than she had in weeks. When the plates were taken away and mugs were refilled, Karen decided to go ahead and ask more questions. Her lightheadedness might be attributed to the drink, but she just didn't care. She felt
damn
good.

"I hope I'm not being rude, but I wanted to know something," she directed her query to Wade. "I always thought Fairies were little tiny creatures who had wings. Why do you look like normal people?"

Wade grinned. "We're not and we do."

"Pardon?" she asked, glancing at Angus for support.

Angus attempted to explain. "Fairies have the ability to change their appearance, though they're always as large as humans. 'Tis a myth that they are all verra' small. Only some factions are wee folk. Like the Pixies. You don't see his wings because he is in human form right now. As I remember, they sometimes dislike showing their true form during daylight.

Tisna' safe for them."

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Wade nodded. "Exactly. You'll see us as we really are when the evening fires are lit by the Druids," Wade told her.

"You
really
have wings and can fly?" Karen gasped.

Wade took her hand in his. "Yes to both questions.

Although we can only fly for very short distances and it's really more like gliding."

Something in the way the Fairy took her hand bothered Angus. The man was taking liberties with a woman he barely knew. And Wade was looking at her as though she were an offering of succulent sweets. "If you want to witness the firelighting, Karen, you should get some rest." Angus stood up and walked around the table to where she sat, determined to remove her from the current company.